Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts
by kc1997kc
Summary: All the stories are from prompts on the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts forum. They go together, but you can also read them seperately since they're all oneshots or drabbles. All stories are Morgan/Garcia,Hotch/Beth,JJ/Will,Reid/OC, Emily/OC.
1. Where You Least Expect It

"Hurry up Daniels," Morgan called from the elevator. I stuffed my last file into my purse and ran over joining Reid, Garcia and Morgan. We'd been out late on a case and were the last people in the building. We'd gone down about two floors when the electricity went out and the elevator stopped. All four of us stopped breathing for a moment in shock. I quickly pulled out my phone for the light.

"What do you think happened?" I asked, thinking out loud. "Most likely possibility."

"Electricity went out," Morgan said. He tried to hit the emergency call button, but it seemed to be jammed.

"So the four of us are stuck in an elevator?" Garcia asked. I nodded glumly. "But tomorrow is Valentine's Day!"

"Did you have plans that I didn't know about, Baby Girl?" Morgan asked squinting his eyes a little.

Garcia shook her head, "No, but being stuck in an elevator wasn't on my list of things to do."

"Valentine's Day is all about being spontaneous, this is the most random and unexpected thing possible. It's the world saying that it loves you," I teased. She groaned and everyone chuckled. "Okay, well what would be your ideal day tomorrow?"

"Well, I'd like to watch a movie with the guy I like and maybe get so food. Something sweet and romantic," She said, "Certainly not spend the day trapped in an elevator!"

"Take a deep breath," Morgan said putting his hand on her shoulder. "Don't stress too much about it." She listened to him quickly. "So who is this mystery guy you want to spend the day with?"

"He's perfect," She said simply, "He's sweet, he always has time for me, and he gets the crazy work schedules we have. He's god like. He gets me through the tough days." I smiled getting who she was talking about, but both the guys looked confused.

"Do we know him?" Morgan asked.

"So Morgan how do you want to spend the day?" I asked cutting him off.

He shrugged, "As long as I get to be with the girl I love, I'd take her to do almost anything."

Garcia looked upset, "What's she like?"

"She's funny, unique, and her own person. She sees the good in the world when no one else can," He said smiling at her. Again I got it, but Reid and Garcia were left in the dark.

We were sitting in silence as everyone pondered the information that had been shared. Finally after a few minutes that felt like hours Garcia spoke, "Do I know her?"

"Fairly well," I muttered snickering. Morgan and Garcia both turned to look at me.

"Wait, you know who it is?" Reid asked.

I nodded, "Fairly obvious. For a genius, you really are slow. I mean you have no excuse."

"How well do I know her?" She demanded.

I held back giggles, "You don't see her often, but you know her better than you know anyone else."

Morgan laughed at my beautiful explanation, but Garcia just looked confused. I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the elevator wall. I turned to glance at all three of my companions in the elevator.

Morgan sat across from me. His eyes were smiling at the look on Garcia's face. His arm was still around her from when he was calming her down. He seemed totally at ease in the elevator.

Garcia was sitting next to him and looked incredibly frustrated. I'd given her a puzzle that she couldn't solve. Her eyes darted around from Morgan, to see if he would tell her, to me, because it was my clue, and to Reid to see if he had solved it.

Reid was sitting next to me. His entire body was tense, but you could tell his mind was absorbed by the puzzle. I recalled that he hated the dark and elevators so this couldn't be a fun experience. His chocolate brown eyes were staring absently at the pattern on the elevator walls. I smiled at the fact that he was so into the puzzle.

A few minutes later he got it, "Wait that makes sense!"

"Shhhh, don't tell," I whispered and winked. Then I relaxed, "I might try and get some rest."

"Oh no you don't. Tell me who it is first!" Garcia demanded. My eyes flicked to Morgan who sighed and whispered into her ear. Her face turned red, but she smiled. I leaned back and relaxed as much as possible.

Some time the next morning the power came on, and someone got the elevator fixed. We were all told to take the day off as a result of our being stuck their all night. Morgan and Garcia left eagerly leaving Reid and me standing outside.

"Hey, do you want to go grab breakfast?" I asked.

He turned to me and nodded a little. Together the two of us headed off to find some food. This was heading up to be the best Valentine's Day ever, and it had started off with the worst expectations.


	2. Going Home Again

_So, this is for week three of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I chose the second prompt._

"_Your main character runs into someone from high school. Could be a bully that used to pick on them, or their best friend from high school. Write the interaction and how your character feels."_

_Summary: Spencer Reid is coerced into going to his twenty year high school reunion where he runs into the people that made his life hell. Reid/OC_

"Spencer Reid, you have to go!" I said, thoroughly exasperated. "You can't even think of a reason not to."

"I never had friends in high school, why would I want to see anyone from that time? I always avoid going to Vegas, unless I"m visiting my mom." He asked me.

I shrugged, "Well, you're hugely successful, engaged, and have gone on to live a great life. Doesn't some part of you want them to know that you did everything you always dreamed of?"

"I don't know, I suppose," He said shrugging. "Last time I saw someone from high school they said I looked twelve."

I stepped as close to him as possible and whispered in his ear, "I certainly don't think that's true."

So a week later during our mandated vacation time we were at Spencer's reunion, although he wasn't quite sure it was a good idea. The two of us were getting drinks when a woman and her husband came over to us.

"Hi, I'm sorry but you look so familiar to us both," She said to Spencer.

He nodded once, "We graduated together. I'm Spencer Reid."

"The twelve year old," She asked and he nodded. "Wow, whose this?"

He smiled at me, "This is Sarah, my fiancée. Sarah this is Alexa Libson and Tony Gregory."

I frowned recalling the names. They had been cruel to Spencer in high school. I used my best self control not to glare at them. Instead I reached over and grabbed Spencer's hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

"You too, and actually it's Alexa Gregory now Spencer," She said.

I smiled faking warmth as best as I could, "Congratulations. Tell me about yourselves."

"Well I have a small radio show," Tony said. "It doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's a good job. Alexa stays home with our kids. What about yourselves? How did you two meet?"

"We work together at the BAU," Spencer told him. "We actually met about seven years ago."

"We've been together for two," I said smiling at him. He was so polite. I wanted to slap her and punch him for what they did to Spencer. "Anyway, it was great to meet you." I said pulling away. "This may have been a bad idea."

"Why?" Spencer asked.

I looked at him pointedly, "People like them. I wish we could simply avoid them. They make me so angry. I think I was wrong."

He smiled, "You were actually right. They were popular in high school. Now they are both miserable. You could tell by looking at them."

"And you are happy and successful, everything they thought they would be," I said leaning in to kiss him.

Later in the week we were on a plane back to DC. "Did you enjoy Vegas?"

He smiled and nodded, "I've changed a lot since I was a kid. Seeing everyone reminds me how lucky I've been. I love my job, I've been successful in my job, and I have a beautiful fiancée. It was nice to be reminded of how lucky I am. Plus it was great to visit my mom."

"Yeah," I smiled at him, "Are you happy we went? I know you didn't want to go."

"Yes. It was great to go home again, even if it was just for a visit."


	3. A Poisonous Problem

_So, this is for week seven of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I chose the second prompt._

"_Write a fic where your character encounters a spider. Can be any setting, and any genre."_

_Summary: When loud noises awaken the entire BAU, they all run to their friends' hotel room expecting to find someone dangerous or Morgan and Reid in trouble. They are all shocked to find the two agents bested by a spider. But will anyone be able to capture the creature? Reid/OC_

I was woken up by extremely loud noises from the room next door. I could hear banging, loud voices, and the sudden ache of bed springs. Knowing that Morgan and Spencer were in there I headed over to see what the problem was. We rarely ever left a case to sleep. Hotch had decided that since we'd been here for three days it was time for us all to get some rest. The idea that they were awake was a sign that there was a problem. JJ was a step ahead of me. She opened their door and they were both standing on their beds like children. Both of their eyes were glued to the corner.

"What's going on?" JJ asked. She was far from being a morning person, and I would not have wanted to wake her up.

Morgan's voice was a little high, "There is a massive, brown spider in the corner."

"It's a brown widow spider," Spencer added. "They are some of the most venomous spiders in the world." JJ looked towards the corner and squealed. The spider was truly massive, just over two inches which was rather large for this type of spider. Morgan helped her up onto the massive bed and she looked extremely worried.

"Sarah, can you kill it?" JJ asked. I silently turned around and went to grab something I could use to catch it from our room.

I searched through all of my bags until I found a small specimen jar with a lid. I headed back to the room next door to see Emily, Garcia, Hotch and Rossi all standing near the door.

"You catch it if it's no big deal," Morgan said.

Rossi shook his head, "It's your room. It is definitely not my problem."

"I'm not gonna catch a poisonous spider," He said simply.

"Well either am I. I don't like spiders," Rossi said.

Hotch had a smirk on his face that said he was enjoying watching them bicker over who would catch the spider.

"Honestly someone catch it," He said rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me," I said calmly. They all moved out of the way. I could feel them staring at me as I walked over and quickly caught the spider and put the lid on the jar. "Seriously?" I turned to Morgan and Spencer. "This is why you woke all of us up? During a case where we really need our minds working, which requires sleep, you woke us up because of a spider?"

"It's poisonous," Morgan said getting off of his bed. JJ was already down and so was Spencer.

I scoffed, "What Spencer didn't know, is that the venom doesn't spread. As long as you get to a doctor fairly quickly and they get all the venom you won't even lose the part of your body that was bitten. They only kill if you don't get it checked out at all and it takes eight hours. If you wait a few hours they might cut around the bite and the bite off." I turned to my fiancé, "Really Spence?"

"Sorry, I didn't read that far," He said sheepishly. I yawned widely. "I've never really ared about or liked spiders. So what do we do with it now?"

"Kill it!" Penelope squealed.

I checked my watch, "See if it was yesterday I would say fine, but today is Save a Spider Day. It would be rude to kill it on the only holiday that honors spiders."

"Why do you know that?" Emily groaned. I went to answer her, but she held up her hands. "You know what, I don't care. I'm going back to sleep." She turned and left. Hotch and Rossi chuckled at their team, but left as well.

"What are you going to do with it," Morgan asked.

I had an idea, "I'm going to let it free again. Stop panicking. You'll both be fine until morning."

"You can't let it loose!" He objected loudly.

I smirked, "Are you scared of the little tiny spider?"

"No," He said trying to look tough. I rolled my eyes.

"Morgan, I was teasing you. I'm going to go to the park across the street and let it loose there," I said rolling my eyes.

JJ smacked me upside my head, "For a genius, you're really slow. You can't let that thing go in a park! There are children there!"

"JJ, it's a walking trail kind of park. Not a playground," I said trying to hide my laughter, "Do you pay any attention to your surroundings?"

She glared, "Shut up. It's the middle of the night and I haven't had any coffee. I'm going to bed; do you have your room key?" I nodded and she left. Penelope was already gone.

I rolled my eyes again and left. I realized Spencer was following me and turned around, "Really? You know I'm never gonna get back to sleep"

"I'm sorry," He said again. I yawned again and he frowned. "How about the two of us take advantage of this and go grab breakfast?"

"AKA two coffees with a lot of sugar in them, each?" I said smiling.

He laughed, "And food. There's a twenty four hour restaurant we can stop at, if you want to."

"Sounds perfect," I said. "But first, let's get rid of the spider." He nodded and glared at it.

"I really hate spiders," He said.

I nodded, "Right at this moment so do I."

I dropped the spider off in the park and we walked over to the restaurant.

"What can I get you two?" The waitress asked. She had this massive smile on her face.

"Coffee," I said smiling feebly back at her. She quickly had two cups sitting on the table.

"Anything else?" She asked.

I frowned not feeling like looking through a menu. Spencer looked at her, "What is your specialty?"

"We make really good pancakes," She offered. "Does that sound good?" We both nodded and she turned to leave. The second she was gone we both dumped sugar into our coffee.

"By the way," He said, "Happy anniversary."

I laughed, "Happy anniversary. Three years."

"Yup," He smiled. "Three years."

"To think it took you fourteen days from when we went out to breakfast to realize that I like you and then to actually go out on a date," I said chuckling.

He laughed too, "And then my brilliant idea of a first date was to go to breakfast again." We both were laughing at the memory.

"I had a plan," He said. "Reservations and a gift. Then this case came up."

"Spencer face it, our job rules our life. Our wedding date was postponed because we spent too much time working and we realized we weren't gonna be ready in time. We're never gonna be that couple that goes to dinner every year," I said smiling. "We'll just do it when we get back."

He nodded, "Well, at least we still got to go on some semblance of a date."

I nodded, "And it's the same as our first date. Breakfast and then we're both running into work because we have a case. There are couples that strive to repeat their first date on their anniversary and for us it's just natural." We laughed and relaxed enjoying the date and accepting that this was how our life was always going to work.


	4. Crazy Night Out

_So, this is for the three elements prompt from the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I chose the third set of elements._

_"__You must use at least THREE of the four elements in each prompt. Aerobics, a secret diary, moving and peppermint" I used aerobics, moving, and peppermint. _

_Summary: The night before Sarah and Spencer finally get married Penelope, Emily, and JJ take Sarah for a wild bachelorette party that she'll never forget. Reid/OC_

When I agreed to let Penelope, JJ, and Emily plan my bachelorette party I was feeling nice. It had been a good day and they hadn't done anything to insane. I figured we'd be doing something small and low key.

I was very, very, very wrong in that assumption. I was sitting in my pajamas in Spencer and I's new apartment. We hadn't officially moved in yet, but I was spending most of my spare time here unpacking and decorating. We were moving in after we came back from Vegas. My phone went off disturbing my thoughts. I considered not picking up, but ended up answering, "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Penelope demanded, "We are sitting in your apartment and you are not here!"

I was shocked, "How did you get in my apartment?"

"I have a key," She said. "Where are you?"

"When did you get a key?" I asked.

She sighed, "I have everyone's key. I stole them all and made copies right after you joined the BAU. I use them sometimes to get things for you all when you're working. Now, where are you?"

"That's great," I said rolling my eyes, "I'm at our new apartment."

"I don't know where that is," She said.

I laughed, "I know. We aren't telling until it's ready. I'll meet you somewhere."

"How about at JJ's house," She offered.

I nodded before remembering I was on the phone, "Give me a little while to get ready." I hung up and started to hurriedly get ready.

When I got to JJ's house they were all waiting impatiently, "Took you long enough! Now let's get going."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

They all smiled, "To do a very special type of aerobics."

"How is this aerobics?" JJ asked Penelope.

She smiled, "It's a type of dancing. Dancing is aerobic."

"I don't know if I'd call this aerobic or dancing," Emily said.

Penelope glared at them both, "It is too."

"Guys, what are we doing?" I asked hesitantly. They all laughed and smiled as we loaded into the car. "Where are we going?"

"We thought we'd do something you'll never forget," Emily said.

I gave her a pointed look, "There are a lot of negative experiences I'll never forget."

"True," She said.

I gave up and pulled out my phone. _If I'm not at the wedding tomorrow blame Penelope, Emily, and JJ._ I texted Spencer.

My phone buzzed almost instantly. _They have you already? I wanted to go to lunch before._

"You all suck," I said looking up. "I had plans that I would much rather be doing."

"Like what?" Penelope asked. "Don't you love us?"

"Yes, but I love my fiancé more," I said simply. "We were meeting for lunch."

"Too bad! We got you first!" Emily said laughing.

_I wish! They won't even tell me what we're doing. All I know is that it's "something you'll never forget."_

_I'm sorry. Do you need me to come find you?_

_Maybe later. I'll let you know._

_Be careful, they might try and take your phone._

_I know._ I slid my phone into my pocket.

"So that was Spencer?" JJ asked. I nodded. "Don't worry. You'll be back in time for your wedding."

"Will I be too hung over or drunk to remember it?" I asked.

She shook her head, "I'll keep the wild ones reigned in."

"Hey!" Both Penelope and Emily objected and I laughed.

Finally we pulled up outside a small sad looking building, "Why are we standing outside of a strip joint?"

"I got us pole dancing classes with a professional pole dancer!" Penny said happily.

"Okay. That is not aerobics or dancing and really Penelope Garcia? This is a horrible idea!" I said.

Much to my dismay, I was sitting and learning pole dancing for the next hour. Then we ate food and had another four hours where she showed us how to do things. I was ready to leave.

"So we open in an hour, so for the next hour everyone gets to try some of the things we've been learning!" The woman said happily.

"Or not," I said. "I'm ready to go."

"We are doing this," Emily said.

Sure enough we spent the next hour and a half behind this place. When we finally left I noticed a few familiar faces.

"Penelope I am going to kill you in such a way that there will be no evidence." I said looking her dead in the eyes.

"This is funny," She said. Spencer also looked fairly confused. Everyone except the two of us burst out laughing.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"Pole dancing classes," Emily said. We'd been drinking the last half hour and you could tell her tongue was loose.

"I will explain later," I said dragging them out.  
>"And now we're going to a bar!" Penelope said happily. "Because you are nowhere near drunk enough."<p>

"Can we get a round of shots, tambourine mountain distillery vodka?" Penelope asked. I took the shot and almost gagged.

"What the hell is that?" I yelled over the music.

JJ replied, "Peppermint flavored vodka!"

"That's disgusting," I said. She nodded.

We ended up drinking and dancing until about midnight when they drove me back over to JJ's house where we were all crashing.

"Mommy you're home!" Henry called as we came inside. He hugged her first. "Aunt Penny! Aunt Sarah! Aunt Emily!" He hugged us each in turn. "You're all staying here?" I nodded. Penelope and Emily were both drunk and JJ was paying the babysitter. I picked him up and carried him all the way to his room where I plopped him down on the bed.

"Now what is my favorite nephew doing awake?" I asked.

He giggled, "I was supposed to be asleep, but I didn't want to."

"Well, you better go to sleep. You know what happens to little boys who don't go to sleep," I said looking away nervously.

His eyes widened as I had hoped, "What?"

"No one ever told you about the monster?" I asked feigning shock. He shook his head, "Well at one AM there is this tiny green monster that comes in and slips into your head through your ears. Once it's there it slowly eats your brain."

"But it's twelve thirty! I gotta go to sleep now. Thank you Aunt Sarah for telling me!" He said lying down.

I smiled at the sweet little boy and tucked him in, "Your welcome Henry. Good night. I'll see you in the morning for my wedding."

I turned to see JJ in the doorway smiling at me, "Little green monster?"

"He was so keyed up and I knew you'd want him to go to sleep," I said. I turned towards him, "Plus he was exhausted."

"You are amazing. It takes Will and me hours to put him to bed," She said shaking her head.

I shrugged, "It's no problem. Plus that ought to make it easier in the future. I'm gonna head to bed."

"Alright, night Sarah," She said. I headed into the guestroom and was asleep within minutes.


	5. The Perfect Wedding Day

_So, this is for the "include the phrase" prompt from the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I chose the third set of elements._

_"I don't find it amusing. In fact, I find it quite the opposite of that. Why are you still laughing!"_

_Summary: After putting of their wedding twice, hours of planning, and fighting with Strauss so the whole team could get time off Sarah and Spencer finally get their wedding. Reid/OC_

The next day I woke up at nine and knew I was going to be busy all day. JJ was already awake and passed me coffee, with the perfect amount of sugar. Then she sent me to wake up Penny and Emily. I went to Emily first.

"Wake up," I yelled. She cringed. "Emily." I said in a warning tone. She was up in seconds. Then I headed into Penny's temporary room, or the office couch.

"Wake up," I yelled again. She cringed as Emily had, but also covered her head. "Penelope, I swear if you are too hung over to help get ready for my wedding I am going to hurt you."

"Go away," She groaned.

I could feel my eyes flashing, "Did you really just say that?" I heard laughter from behind me, "Why are you laughing?"

"I'm amused, because I warned her," JJ said laughing harder.

"I don't find it amusing. In fact, I find it quite the opposite of that," JJ's laughter continued and I felt my agitation growing, "Why are you still laughing!"

She left the room and I forced Penelope into a sitting position, "Fine, I'm getting up."

"You had better be," I said. "And then you're going to drink some coffee and we are going to start getting ready."

Her eyes widened, "I'm so sorry, that was the hangover talking! I'm ready to help you be even more beautiful."

I laughed at her obviously trying to cover up for her mistake, "Coffee."

It ended up taking an hour to get her and Emily into shape. Then we did all of their hair and makeup, and Ashley's too when she showed up. After they were all ready it was about one. We hurriedly ate lunch and they all set to work. It took them three hours to get me all ready to their satisfaction and then I was shown to a mirror.

They had put most of my straight black hair into a braided bun, except for a few pieces which they had curled and left loose to frame my face. My skin all seemed to shine and my blue eyes seemed even brighter than normal. I felt tears begin to come to my eyes as I realized that I was finally getting married.

"Why are you crying?" Ashley asked.

I smiled at her, "I'm happy."

They all laughed softly and Henry came into the room, "Wow. You all look so pretty. 'Specially you Aunt Sarah."

I picked him up and put him on the counter, "Thank you Henry. Now let's get you ready. You're Uncle Derek is coming to pick you up soon." He nodded and JJ took him to get him dressed. Penelope gelled his hair just as the doorbell rang.

"Hey Morgan, come on in," I called. He came in and stopped in the doorway.

He spoke softly, "Wow girl genius. You look amazing. That kid isn't going to know what hit him when he sees you."

"Thanks Morgan," I said feeling myself getting choked up. Then Henry ran out and attacked his leg.

"Hey Henry," He said picking him up.

"I think he might me one of the two most handsome men in the wedding," I said.

Morgan looked him down, "Yup, the two of us."

I laughed, "I was referring to him and Spence, but your not to bad yourself all dressed up." The bell rang again and I ran over to see the man I'd only ever heard stories about. "Hi, you must be Jason Gideon."

He nodded, "You must be Sarah Daniels."

I nodded, "Please come in. I'll warn you I haven't told anyone except Penny."

He followed me into the room and Morgan almost dropped Henry when he saw him. "Gideon?"

"Hi Derek," He said not really looking him in the eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

I interrupted, "I invited him. Spencer talks about him all the time and I thought he should be here." Morgan nodded. "Can you take him with you?"

He smiled at me and nodded before hugging Gideon, "Great to see you." JJ, Emily, Ashley, and Penelope all came downstairs as they separated.

"You actually came," Penelope said running over and hugging him before going to give Morgan a kiss. JJ and Emily also gave him brief hugs.

"Mommy, who is this?" Henry asked. JJ took him from Morgan.

"This is Jason Gideon," She said. "He worked with me before you were born." She turned to Gideon. "This is my son. Do you remember Will LaMontagne? He was a detective in New Orleans?"

Gideon nodded, "I feel like I've missed so much. It's great to meet you." He smiled at Henry who smiled back. "And you are?"

"Ashley Seaver," She said holding out her hand which he took. "Pleasure to meet you. I've heard stories."

"Gideon we have to get going," Morgan said and the three men left.

Just as they left there was a knock and my grandmother came in, "My beautiful granddaughter."

"Hey Grandma," I hugged her. "You look fantastic."

She waved her hand, "You look stunning."

JJ came up, "Guys, it's four thirty. We have to get going." We all got into the car and drove over to the church. Spencer and I hadn't been sure what was the best place to do it, but in the end we'd decided on a church. It was the same place that Hotch and Haley got married, and it was where both boys had been baptized. It was the only church either of us had ever gone to for any purpose.

When we arrived Diana was there and she came into the room to meet my grandmother. They talked briefly and she came over to me. It was clear she was having a good day so far.

"You look beautiful. I'm so happy Spencer is finally getting married," She said smiling at me.

I smiled back, "I'm so happy you could be here today." Morgan stuck his head into the room.

"I have a message from the groom," He said passing me a piece of paper. I unfolded it quickly so I could read it.

_Thank you so much for getting a hold of Gideon. It is fantastic to have him here at our wedding. He was more a father to me than my own father. Thank you. I love you so much and I can't wait to be your husband. Love, Spencer_

I smiled knowing I had done the right thing. Then I heard the first music change and Spencer's mother left with Morgan to go sit down. Minutes later the music changed again and all of my bridesmaids left. JJ paused and looked at me, "This is going to be perfect. Good luck." With that she was also gone. I peeked out as Henry and Jack walked down the aisle holding the rings. I slid my engagement ring to the other hand and grabbed my grandmother's arm as the music changed. I walked slowly down the aisle smiling. I kept my eyes on Spencer knowing that if I looked around I'd have a panic attack. I hated being the center of attention, but I knew this was worth it.

"You may be seated. We are gathered here today in the presence of friends and loved ones, to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes and blessings to the words which shall unite Bride and Groom in holy matrimony." He paused. "Marriage is a most honorable estate, signifying unto us a mystical union - may this marriage be adorned by true and abiding love and that same special union." He smiled at my grandmother, "May I ask who gives this woman to this man?"

She smiled at me, "I do." Then, in an old fashioned way she placed my hands in Spencer's and I took my place. She sat down looking happier than I had ever seen her.

"To this moment you bring the fullness of your hearts as a treasure to share with one another. You bring dreams and hopes which bind you together. You bring your particular personalities and spirits out of which will flow the reality of your lives together. We rejoice with you now as you express the outward symbol of your inward union of hearts. It is a union that has already been created by friendship, by respect and by love," He said. "I'd like to at this time recognize those who could not be here with us today in body, although we know they are with us in spirit. Now, the families of Bride and Groom's families will now light two individual candles, symbolic of the individuality of the couple and their families here at the beginning of this ceremony." My grandmother and Spencer's mother each stood up and lit the candles.

"Now I will read Sonnet 116 from Shakespeare._"Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: Oh, no! It is an ever-fixed mark. That looks on tempests and is never shaken; it is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come; love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved."_

Bride and Groom, as the two of you come into this marriage uniting you as husband and wife, and as you this day affirm your love for one another, I would ask that you always remember to cherish each other as special and unique individuals, that you respect the thoughts, ideas and suggestions of one another. Be able to forgive, do not hold grudges, and live each day that you may share it together, as from this day forward you shall be each other's home, comfort and refuge, your marriage strengthened by your love and respect for each other.

Just as two threads woven in opposite directions will form a most beautiful tapestry, so too can your two lives merged together make a beautiful marriage. To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want the best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another - and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment; to hold true to the journey you both pledge today to share together.

Who presents this bride to be wed?" He asked.

My grandmother stood up, "I do."

"Who presents this groom to be wed?"

"I do," Diana and William said standing up. Both women were crying.

"Bride and Groom, I would ask that you both remember to treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourself often of what brought you here today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage, as they do to every relationship at one time or another, focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your lives together, your marriage will be marked by abundance and delight.

Who holds the rings?"

"We got the rings!" Henry and Jack said showing him their pillows.

"Let us bless these rings! These rings are circles, symbols that remind us of the Sun, and the Earth, and the universe. These symbols of perfection and peace which shall never end. These are the rings that the Bride and Groom will wear for the rest of their lives, that express the love that they have for one another. Let us take a moment and send our prayers, our thoughts and our love to these rings, so that as they wear them, they will carry our love with them as well." Everyone was silent for a moment. "The couple has chosen to write their own vows."

Spencer began first, "Sarah, I've loved you for seven years, three months, and sixteen days. At first it was the same love I feel for the whole team. An almost familial kind of love. Then we started to get closer. Sometime around the time I'd known you for two years I started to fall for you. Then four years, one month and three days ago you were kidnapped and I realized that I was in love with you. They say you don't realize what you have until it's gone and the idea that you may be dead made me realize that I was in love with you. That scared me more than words. I was afraid of rejection, that you didn't love me. But mainly I was afraid of what our job would cause. I've seen people change at our job. I've seen it kill relationships, and I've seen it kill people. Our job has risks, and I didn't know if I could handle a relationship. So I waited. Then, three years three years, three months, and three day ago we finally went on a date. I knew then that I was going to marry you one day and it took a long time for me to finally ask you. Exactly one year ago I had planned out the perfect proposal. I had just gotten down on one knee when we got called into work. I made them stop so I could propose to you that day. Sarah, I love you more than I can find words to describe,"

"Which is saying something with your vocabulary," Morgan interrupted reminding us that we weren't alone.

"I take you to be my wife, my faithful partner, my constant friend, and my only true love. I vow to love you in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, to stand together in joy and in sorrow, to be open and honest with, as long as we both shall live." He took the ring from Jack and slid it partially onto my finger. He looked into my eyes and paused, "With this ring I thee wed." He slid the ring on and then replaced my engagement ring.

I hadn't realized I was crying until I went to speak, "Spencer Reid, I can recall the day I meet you with perfect clarity. From that first day I knew that we'd be close, but I didn't realize how close. I'd never been the kind of person who believed in falling in love, but I fell in love with you after just over two years. I tried to pretend that it was the same kind of love I was feeling for everyone on the team, because I couldn't handle being in love. I was so afraid. Then one day my grandmother showed up at work. She realized it in the ten minutes she was there. She told me "It's okay to be afraid. Everyone is afraid of something. What you have to do is accept your fears. You can't let them rule your life. You love that silly man in there. Don't try and pretend any different. You can't let one bad example lead your life. Love is to be cherished. So cherish it, don't hide it."" The tears were flowing and I could barely talk. "So I did. On Valentine's Day three years ago we got stuck in an elevator. When we finally got out we went to breakfast in this ridiculous twenty four hour café. I thought for sure you'd realize it then, but you didn't, not right away."

"Some genius you are," Garcia added in.

"When it finally came to you and we went back to that café for our first date I knew that that was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life, with you drinking coffee with way too much sugar in it and talking about everything. It was easy and it was perfect and that's how I want to spend every morning for the rest of our lives. I take you to be my husband, my faithful partner, my constant friend, and my only true love. I vow to love you in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, to stand together in joy and in sorrow, to be open and honest with, as long as we both shall live." I grabbed the ring from Henry and slid it half way onto his finger. "With this ring," my voice cracked. "With this ring I thee wed."

"At the beginning of the ceremony the bride and groom's families lit two individual candles to symbolize their individual lives. Now the bride and groom will light the unity candle." He spoke. Even he had tears in his eyes. We each carefully lifted our candles and walked over lighting the candle and returning them to their places. We walked over to Diana and William. We each hugged Diana and kissed her cheek and then briefly hugged William. We walked over to my grandmother who held us both close before we kissed her cheek as well. Then we walked back to our previous place.

"Bride and groom, we, your family and friends, wish for you the very best! We wish that you be filled with joy, and that love abide with you always. May you find happiness and satisfaction in your work. May daily problems never cause you undue anxiety, nor the desire for earthly possessions dominate your lives. May you be blessed with many happy years together, so that you may enjoy the rewards of a good, long and healthy life."

"And so now, as you, Groom, and you, Bride, have announced the truths that are already written in your hearts, and have witnessed the same in the presence of these, your family and friends, we observe joyfully that you have declared yourself to be ... husband and wife." He turned to Spencer, "You may now kiss the bride."

Spencer cradled my face softly in his hands and kissed me gently. After a moment we broke apart. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

"I present to you all Mr. and Mrs. Reid." He said everyone clapped and then began to filter out to drive to the reception hall. A few people came to say hello first.

The photographer too hundreds of pictures and our family and the team left. I went quickly to change into a dress that would be easier to dance in. It was still white and elegant. It was more like a really long prom dress than the more traditional wedding dress I had started the day in. After that Spencer and I got into the car that was driving us to the reception hall.

"This has been such a long day," I said groaning.

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah. But we're married. I love you."

"I love you," I said. "Forever and always."


	6. Reid and Henry's Night

_So, this is for week eight of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts, although it's too late. I chose the second prompt._

"_Don't you wish the writers would have shown Reid acting like Mr. Belvedere while babysitting Henry in 7x16? Write your version of Reid and Henry's night."_

_Summary: He'll be fine for a few hours. Spencer has never babysat Henry alone before, but when the girls go out for one night they leave him in charge. Can he handle babysitting? Reid/OC_

Spencer Reid walked into JJ's house feeling quite calm. He loved spending time with Henry, and was excited to prove himself to JJ who didn't believe he could handle the little boy.

"Uncle Spence," Henry screamed running up to him. Reid picked him up as Sarah walked in behind him. "Hi Aunt Sarah!"

She smiled at Henry, "Hey kiddo. Are you excited about spending time with Uncle Spencer?" He nodded as Penny, JJ, and Emily walked in.

"Spence, are you sure you'll be alright?" JJ said worriedly.

He smiled and nodded, "We'll be great."

"Come on," Penelope said opening the door. Emily went out quickly. Sarah stopped and kissed Spencer's cheek and ruffled Henry's hair before following Emily.

JJ wavered in the doorway, "You need to make dinner for him, and don't give him too much sugar. He needs to be in bed by eight thirty. Oh, and don't let him forget to brush his teeth and brush his hair. And-"

"JJ, I've got it. Go have fun," He said. She kissed Henry's head before Penelope dragged her out.

Spencer put Henry down, "So, what do you want to do first?"

"Can you help me build somethin Uncle Spence?" He asked. "Daddy bought me new legos, but I can't figure out how to build them."

"Sure," Henry dragged Reid to his room and showed him the box. It was to build a small spaceship. Together they built it in about an hour. Spencer started trying to make macaroni and cheese. Somehow he managed to set a small fire.

"Uncle Spence," Henry said. "I don't think that's 'possed to set on fire. It doesn't do that when Mommy makes it."

"How would you feel about going and getting McDonalds?" He asked.

Spencer was surprised that they beat the girl's home so he texted Sarah before leading Henry upstairs so he could brush his teeth. Before they got upstairs his phone rang.

"Hello?" He asked.

He heard the blasting music and cold barely make out Sarah's voice, "Hey babe, we might be a couple of hours. We should be back by ten. I can't really hear well, but I love you!"

"Who was that?" Henry asked.

He smiled, "Aunty Sarah. They are gonna be a little late."

"Oh," He said. "Can we watch a movie?"

"Sure, what do you want to watch?"

"Cars!" He yelled excited. Reid started the movie and went to sit with Henry. "Uncle Spence, can we have ice cream while we watch the movie?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," He started to say.

Henry grabbed his hand and began jumping up and down, "Please, Please, Please Uncle Spence." Reid got up and got two bowls of ice cream before hitting play. The movie ended around nine thirty and Spencer noticed that Henry was bouncing around. The sugar was obviously affecting the small child. "Uncle Spence, let's play tag!" Reid was reluctant. JJ enforced bedtime being at eight thirty, which was already an hour ago. He finally gave in seeing how hyper Henry was.

They played tag without pausing until almost eleven. Then Henry started to crash. Reid sat with Henry on his lap and a copy of _The Great Adventure _that Henry wanted him to read. About half way through the book the toddler had fallen fast asleep in Reid's lap.

It was around two in the morning when Reid woke up because he heard the door. He lifted Henry and walked over to see the girls. They all smelled strongly of alcohol. JJ was having trouble staying upright and Sarah seemed to be supporting her. Emily and Penelope were giggling.

"Spencer!" Emily said loudly.

JJ looked over, "Shhhh, Emily my baby is sleeping." Her words were slurred and she seemed to be whining.

"Stay here," Spencer said going upstairs to deposit Henry into his bed. He went downstairs and raised an eyebrow.

"They are very drunk," Sarah said giggling. Spencer rolled his eyes, she was obviously at least a little tipsy.

"I'm gonna make coffee. Then I am driving everyone home," He said, not sure if they were even listening.

The coffee brewed and he handed each woman a cup. Penelope tripped and spilled her coffee. She banged the cabinet as she fell into the spilled coffee. Soon all the women were hysterical. Henry appeared at the door.

"Mommy," He said loudly running to JJ. When he hugged her legs she stumbled back and Spencer grabbed her. "What's wrong with Mommy?" He demanded.

"I'm fine baby," She slurred picking him up. Spencer was supporting her entire weight and he led them to a chair.

"Hey JJ, why don't I go put Henry back in bed. It's almost two thirty," He said. She willingly handed him Henry and he carried him upstairs. "Alright buddy. I'll be back in the morning to pick you and Mommy up for Uncle Aaron's race. Alright?" Henry nodded and rolled over. Spencer sighed and went back to the women. Penelope was still on the floor so he helped her up and then walked everyone except JJ to the car. He helped JJ into her bed and then drove everyone else to Sarah and his apartment. Emily crashed onto the couch and fell asleep instantly. Sarah helped try and get coffee out of Penelope's clothes before helping Penelope into bed and climbing into bed next to Spencer. She'd already started to sober up.

"So how was your night?" She asked.

He sighed, "Fairly good, apart from you all showing up drunk."

"I'm sorry. I love you," She said before crashing. Spencer couldn't sleep. He got up and sat down at his desk.

_Dear Mom,_

_You wouldn't believe the night I've had…_


	7. Clooney's Adventures

_So, this is for week ten of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I'm gonna shamelessly advertise right here. I hope everyone checks them out because they are awesome and no one is really participating anymore which is really sad. We have weekly and monthly prompts, games, and competitions. The people there are also really awesome! Shameless advertising is done now. I chose the second prompt._

"_Clooney had a little too much fun while Morgan was away on a case."_

_Summary: Morgan and Garcia arrive at Morgan's home after a long case to find it's been torn apart. After a little investigation they discover the culprit. Morgan/Garcia_

Morgan and Garcia opened the door to his house. They had just gotten home from a case where the unsub would kill people using their greatest fears. It had been a horrible case and they had just managed to save a young woman from dying from venomous spiders. They unlocked the door and stopped in horror. The whole room looked like it had been torn apart.

Morgan said. "I'm gonna see if I can figure out what happened." Garcia nodded and stood shocked in the doorway. Clooney bounded over to her with a pillow in his mouth and she began to understand. They'd been away for almost two weeks on the case. Morgan had a dog door installed and always left a huge amount of food, but she didn't know if anyone had actually been here.

"Morgan," She called. "Did you have anyone visit Clooney?"

"Well no, normally my neighbor stops by but she's been sick. Why?" He called back. He came in. "I don't see how anyone could have gotten in."

"I think Clooney was bored, so he had a little fun," She said gesturing at the dog that was destroying one of the remaining pillows.

"Man, Clooney the house is a mess." He said groaning. "I'm sorry baby girl, I know we had plans but I'm gonna have to clean everything up first."

"Need some help?" She offered.

He smiled, "Woman, you are god sent. Thank you! I'll grab garbage bags and we can separate my house into stuff that hasn't been damaged and trash?"

"How about trash, things that can be repaired, and stuff that is fine?" She asked. "Like your couch. It has one hole, but I can fix it up in a few minutes. Why go buy a new couch?"

"My couch? Clooney, I do not like you right now." He said going into the kitchen to grab garbage bags. Garcia surveyed the living room. It would be easier to see what wasn't damaged once they got some of the stuffing from the pillows into garbage bags. The room was coated like the roads after a snow storm. She could hardly recognize the room, and she'd been here a lot. She began picking the fluff up and just piling it up. When Morgan came in he stuffed her piles into garbage bags and started helping. Once everything was up she surveyed the damage zone. One picture frame had been knocked over and would need to be replaced; the couch needed to be sewed up, the carpet needed some serious fixing between the stains and the tears, but other than that it was in good shape.

Morgan left to throw out all the bags of trash and she used a small traveling sewing kit to fix the rip in the couch. Then she picked up the frame carefully and saw a photo of the team from Spencer and Sarah's wedding. She had been hugging Morgan in the back behind the when they snapped the photo and accidentally caught them. Since Spencer and Sarah already knew it wasn't a big deal, but she thought they had gotten rid of the picture.

"I never liked that frame anyway," Morgan said from behind her. "It was too boring. I wanted a frame that fit your personality more."

She smiled and kissed his cheek, "I didn't even know you had this."

"I persuaded the geniuses to give it to me rather than burn it." He said laughing. "Thank you for helping me get everything cleaned up."

"It's my pleasure. I love you Derek Morgan."

"I love you too Penelope Garcia." He kissed her. "We can finish cleaning up tomorrow. Let's just relax for tonight." She smiled and nodded at him.

"That sounds perfect."


	8. Good News

_So, this is for week eleven of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. Even though it's week twelve now, I'm uploading this one. I'm really behind. I did the first one_

_"One or two of the BAU members get caught making out."_

_ Summary: When Spencer and Sarah go to tell Garcia some good news they walk in on Morgan and Garcia. They share their news with the team._

"Hey Garcia, we," Spence cut off and I went up to see why. It didn't take a genius to realize it. Morgan and Garcia were standing there sheepishly. She was still on his lap and her face was completely flushed and her lips were slightly swollen. We had kind of known they were together since Valentine's Day, but they didn't talk about it. Only Spencer and I knew.

"We are leaving," I said tugging the back of his shirt gently. I pulled the door closed. The second we got back to our desks I burst into laughter. Within minutes they were in the room.

"Please don't say anything," She said. "We shouldn't really be dating unless we talk to the boss lady and she is a scary beast."

"We won't, but if you keep making out like common teenagers you'll get caught," I said teasing. I was happy for them.

Penelope however turned even redder, "We don't normally."

"I'm teasing. Although if you don't want to get caught lock the door, it's too risky to just go into your office," I said rolling my eyes.

She huffed, "Anyways, why were you entering my lair without knocking?"

"Sorry," Spencer said looking down.

"We just wanted to share some big news with you. I figured you'd want to be the first we told." I said purposefully not sharing. "But you seemed busy, so we decided to wait till we could just tell everyone." Spencer looked at me and I winked subtly. He smiled.

I'd been throwing up for a few weeks and had finally decided to take a test. That morning when I found out I had screamed. Spencer had run in freaking out making sure I was alright when he'd noticed the test. I hadn't told him I was taking it, but he was as happy as I was.

"Are you gonna tell me?" She yelled. I realized I'd been zoned out for a few minutes.

"Sorry, I was absorbed in thought. Umm." I was excited, but I was never good at telling people things.

Spencer took my hand and whispered in my ear, "Do you want to tell them?"

"Yeah, um, we are kinda having a baby." I said quietly. Garcia squealed and hugged me as Emily came in.

"I'm so happy for you! This is so exciting!" She was smiling so hugely.

Emily looked confused, "What's going on?"

Spencer looked at me and I nodded. He smiled at her, "Sarah's pregnant."

"Really? Congratulations you guys. I didn't know you were trying to get pregnant, but that's so awesome." She said smiling.

"We weren't," I said. "We just weren't trying not to."

"Well still, congratulations," She said hugging me as soon as Garcia let go.

"Yeah, we'll have even more geniuses running around." Morgan said.

Garcia was still bouncing, "We should have a party! To celebrate. Today after work we are definitely celebrating. Of course, everyone will know by then and this will be awesome. We can have cake and stuff here and then go to the bar!"

"Garcia, isn't it a little risky for me, the newly pregnant woman, to go to a bar?" I said trying desperately to get out of it. I just wanted to go home and relax. I wasn't much for partying.

"No, just don't drink. Please," She begged. I rolled my eyes and nodded once. I was a bit of a pushover, especially when it came to Garcia. JJ walked over.

"What did you just tell Garcia? She looks like Henry on Christmas morning," She said laughing.

I smiled, "I'm pregnant."

"That's so awesome, congratulations Sarah." She hugged me and went and hugged Spence. "You will be awesome parents. You're both awesome with Henry. He's begging for Uncle Spence to come babysit again and I've seen you do miracles with that child."

"Thanks JJ," I said smiling and hugging her. Hotch was standing above and must have noticed all the hugging so he came down along with Rossi.

"What are we the last to know?" He asked.

I took a deep breath, "Spence and I are having a baby."

Hotch showed one of his rare smiles and out a hand on each of our shoulders, "Congratulations. You'll do well." He left and Rossi smiled. He hugged me and patted Spencer on the back.

"Congrats kids," He said going up to his office.

That afternoon after doing my files and about half of Emily's we met up with Garcia in the staff room. She had somehow gotten a cake that said congratulations across it and a little gift bag. Once everyone was there I opened it to fins a camera with no packaging.

"I've set it up and put in a memory card. It's so you can document everything."

"Thanks Garcia," I smiled and we all dug into the sweet cake. We all had some and left it for anyone else who wanted the rest before heading out to go dance. Hotch and Rossi bowed out. JJ and Emily were dancing, Morgan and Garcia had disappeared, and Spencer and I were sitting at the bar. We were both drinking soda.

"So, are you happy about this?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded, "How could I not be happy? I love you, and I'll love our baby. You want to go home? I doubt Garcia will bother you anymore." I nodded. We went out and hugged Emily and JJ goodbye. We promised we'd see them Sunday at our house for this week's dinner and they promised to tell Morgan and Garcia we had left. The two of us slipped outside to go home and have our own celebration.


	9. Spring Surprises

_This is for the Spring Competition on the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts forum._

"_For the prompts, the first word is something related to spring, the second is a random word, and the last is an element to include. And remember, you don't have to use the word/element exactly as it's written. Just as long as it's included in some way, shape, or form, and all three are included!__"_

_I chose Spencer Reid and was assigned Derek Morgan. My three elements were: Spring, baking, and helping out a friend._

"Hey, Spence and Sarah," JJ said, breaking Spencer out of his revere. "Are you two busy this weekend?"

"Sadly," Sarah replied. "I'm helping out with my cousins Saturday."

"And Sunday I was asked to meet up with a teacher at George Washington to discuss my doing something in his class and then going to his class." Spencer said.

She sighed, "I was hoping you could come over. Henry misses you guys. Plus Will and I need some alone time. You'll see when your baby is born."

"Well we could take him," Spencer said. He had a massive soft spot for his godson. Sarah nodded agreeing.

"Are you sure? I mean there's always next weekend or Spring Break," She said.

Sarah nodded, "Of course."

"Henry and I can go to that Spring thing at the zoo with all the little animals and the special gardens that he'd mentioned," Spencer said smiling widely.

Sarah smiled, "And I had promised we could bake cookies next time he came over."

"I'm jealous," Derek said. "You make amazing cookies." JJ, Emily, Aaron, and Dave nodded.

"Speaking of seeing kids, when am I gonna get to see Jack?" Sarah said turning to Aaron. He had formed a special bond with Jack that none of the team had. The two clicked almost instantly and she often helped him with endeavors he wanted to keep secret from Hotch. He also loved seeing her belly grow through her pregnancy.

"Whenever you'd like," He smiled. The two's relationship baffled him.

"Why doesn't he join Henry and you to bake? Henry has been talking about seeing Jack." JJ suggested.

"Perfect," Hotch smiled and Sarah beamed.

"I want cookies too!" Morgan complained.

Sarah turned to him smiling, "You want to come? It can be all the children from the BAU, as only children whine."

"I'm going to ignore that and say yes." He said laughing.

They finished making plans and headed home.

The next morning Sarah left for her family's house and Spencer left to go get Henry. When he walked in the small boy attacked his legs.

"Uncle Spence!" he shrieked. "I missed you!"

He bent down and lifted Henry into the air. "I missed you too Henry."

JJ came in and smiled, "You guys are too cute!"

Spencer smiled and shifted Henry. "So are you excited about this weekend?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna go to the zoo and bake cookies and then its Spring Break is soon! Plus Mommy and Daddy can have grownup time and go out on a dates while I stay with you." Henry said happily.

"Thank you for taking him. If you need me call."

"We won't," He promised.

She hugged Henry and handed Spencer his backpack before they left for the zoo.

When Spencer and Henry got to the zoo Spencer grabbed his wallet and they headed in. He paid the entrance fees, the special spring zoo passes, and for the monorail passes.

"So, where are we headed kid?"

"To spring!" Spencer smiled and they walked the little ways to the special "Spring is Here" area of the zoo. They had baby animal shows, a very nice petting zoo, and a beautiful butterfly garden. Spencer and Henry watched the show and Henry enjoyed every minute, especially being able to touch some of the special animals like the little lambs, chicks, and bunnies. They walked through the butterfly garden and one landed on Henry's arm.

"Uncle Spence," The boy had whispered. "There's a butterfly on my arm!"

He had snapped a few photos before it flew away. Henry was overjoyed. "It liked me! A butterfly liked me! And it stayed and didn't fly away. I stayed quiet and still like Mommy said they like and it sat on my arm. It was so cool!" He let Henry play for just over an hour in the petting zoo before they left to go find lunch.

After lunch they visited Henry's favorite animals. They hopped around the Kangaroos, because "if the Kangaroos hop then we should hop so they don't get confused." They watched the tigers and the lions. They went to the monkeys and Henry screeched back and forth with one group. Then they visited and fed the giraffes.

By the time they left Henry was so tired he fell asleep in the car. They were on a busy road when suddenly the car made a strange noise and the check engine light came on. Spencer pulled over and tried turning the car on and off. It was extremely hot and wasn't working well. The car was ancient. He grabbed a groggy Henry and stood opposite the car away from the road. He called Sarah to no avail and so he called Morgan.

"What's up Pretty Boy?"

"My car broke down. I'm on US 133 and I have Henry. I pulled over, but I don't really want to take Henry in a tow truck."

"Alright man, where are you?"

"Five minutes south of the zoo."

Morgan laughed, "I'm coming. I'm like ten minutes out. Call a tow truck and get you guy's stuff out."

When Morgan got there the tow truck was there as well. Henry was asleep in Spencer's arms. They transferred the car seat and buckled Henry in. Then they got in and hit the road.

"Thanks for helping out," Spencer said.

Morgan smiled, "It's no problem."

They pulled into the apartment that Spencer and Sarah had moved into and she came running down before they could get out of the car.

"Derek, have you heard from Spencer?" She asked approaching the car. When Spencer opened his door she glared at him, "Good to know your safe."

"What?" Spencer asked confused. Morgan picked up Henry and his stuff and stood far away.

She glared, "I called you ten times and texted you too. I haven't heard from you all day. You said you'd be home by six and its seven thirty."

Spencer pulled out his phone and noticed the missed calls, "Oops." His wife rolled her eyes. "We stayed late and then the car broke down. I didn't think you'd even be home."

"I had to leave around two," she said. "I tried to call then as well and assumed you were not getting signal."

"Why?" He asked worried.

She sighed, "We'll talk later. Where is my nephew?"

"Over here," Henry said groggily. He had woken up in Morgan's arms.

She smiled, "Hi baby boy. Hi Derek. Please come in. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"No, I don't want to bother you guys," He said.

She shook her head, "I made lasagna, so Spencer and I will be eating leftovers all week. Plus it's a thank you for helping us with the car thing."

"Derek she isn't going to give up," Spencer said. He smiled and locked his car. They went upstairs and devoured the meal. Henry was drooping over his plate and so Sarah took him to get him into bed after hugging Derek goodbye.

"So what happened?" Spencer asked when she was sitting with him on the couch. His hands rested on her swollen stomach.

She sighed, "Do not freak out?" He nodded. "I was having contractions so I went to the doctor. I was apparently going into early labor. They gave me some medicine and told me I need to reduce stress and no more flying." She was only seven month pregnant.

"I'm sorry," Spencer's guilt doubled. He'd been stressing out his wife while she should have been avoiding stress. "I'll be more careful about answering the phone."

"It's okay. I just worry." She said.

"Well don't," He said. "I love you."

"I love you too," She said. They finally went to sleep knowing they were in for an early morning.

The next day they got up and ate pancakes for breakfast. At ten thirty Jack and Hotch showed up. Jack ran off to play for a little while, while Sarah talked to Hotch. He did the worried dad thing and she let him know about the doctor's orders. He nodded and left to go. After a big lunch of macaroni and cheese Morgan arrived and they set to work. They made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and a batch of sugar cookies in bunny shapes that they could decorate. When they were done Spencer came in and sat down with them at the decorating table.

The three adults and two children set to decorating all the bunnies. Spencer decorated each one accurately and spent ages adding in details to its fur. Morgan picked a random color and painted them sloppily with his butter knife before passing them to the boys who would drizzle other colors or add sprinkles. Sarah made neat abstract designs on hers and by three they had made all the cookies and both boys were on major sugar highs.

"How about we all go to the park?" Morgan asked. Sarah nodded and they went to a small neighborhood park. She sat watching as Morgan tried to teach Spencer, Henry, and Jack about football. She was glad he was so helpful and such a huge part of everyone's life.

Spencer smiled when Henry caught the football. It was so big compared to his tiny frame. He was glad Morgan was here, because it was really helping exhaust the boys.

"Uncle Spence, catch," Henry said trying to throw the ball. Spencer did his best to catch it and when he did Henry's brilliant smile was worth the effort. He gently passed the ball to Jack who also caught it. They had just started running with the ball when Sarah walked over.

"Hey guys," She said softly. Morgan and Spencer went over to her. "I need to go back to the doctor."

"Why?" Morgan asked.

She looked at Spencer, "My water just broke. We should go." They all were shocked, but hurried to the hospital. Her contractions had started almost instantly and the hospital was a half hour away when there was no traffic. They happened to get stuck in an accident aftermath and so it took them an hour. By the time they arrived Sarah was immediately checked in and JJ and Hotch were called to pick up the boys.

Hour later they had a baby girl, Hope Diana Reid. The team crowded into the room looking at the tiny premature baby girl.

"Figures," Emily teased. "You two would have a baby on the first actual day of spring, the season of new love and babies." They both laughed. It would certainly be an unforgettable season.


	10. The Hardest Cases

_This is for Week 13 on the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts forum. I used the first and third prompt._

_"Someone has a nightmare while on a case." _

_"a scream, a flashlight and a mask"_

_Summary: The team gets called away on a case where the unsub is killing families. cases like this are always the hardest. Can they find they find them before it's too late for the latest family?_

The team sat on the plane headed out to California where they had their latest case. The unsub was after families and the whole team was prepared for a rough case. They had killed five families so far, and both times had kidnapped the father and the youngest child, who had been between a year and five. The father would show up a few days to a week later and within twenty four hours another family had been killed. The unsub currently hadn't dumped the father, which gave them at least a few days. Every family had been large, having at least three kids.

After two days of not catching a break, the father's body was dumped and another family was slaughtered almost immediately, but the oldest child hadn't died. The bullet had missed anything important, and they had survived. Daniels and Morgan went to the hospital to go talk to him.

"I know this is hard, but what can you remember?"

The boy swallowed, "My mom ran into the room holding Thomas and handed him to me. Cathy was right behind her. She told us to hide. I helped Thomas get under my bed and hide behind some stuff and then I heard the gunshot. Thomas yelled and I told him to stay where he was and not to make any noise. Cathy was in the closet when she came in."

"She," Morgan asked, "It was a woman?"

"Yeah, but she was wearing a ski mask, so I couldn't see her face. Her hair stuck out of the bottom though. She shot me and I fell back and hit my head. I blacked out."

"Do you remember anything about her? Anything at all?" Daniels asked softly. "A tattoo, or a birth mark? How tall she was, or even what her hair looked like?"

"Her hair was blond and straight, but that's all I know." He shook his head.

"We're going to do our best to find your father and brother," She said fighting back tears. "Thank you."

They headed back to the station and began talking to the team.

"So our unsub is in her twenties or thirties, blond, and has probably recently lost her family." JJ said to Garcia.

"There are twenty women in the general area, and these crimes have been all over."

"Her kids were probably young," Daniels said.

"Five women fit your unsub," Garcia said. "I need more than that my loves."

Suddenly the power went out in the building. Some of the officers came in and passed out flashlights.

"Sorry," He told them. "The electric company put up these new power lines that are supposed to save us money on electricity. We've had more power outages lately than ever before. I suppose it is saving us money on our electricity though, since we don't have any."

"Sorry Garcia, the power went out. You mean to tell me that in this area there are five women who had more than three small children and a husband who all died recently and are blond and in their twenties and low thirties?" Daniels asked.

"Yes ma'am," She said. "Trust me, I don't like that number."

"Wait, can you check their financials?" Spencer asked.

"Of course," She said. The sound of typing could be heard over the phone. "What am I looking for?"

"The continued purchase of supplies for a child."

"You've got it. One Annabelle Michaels, I'm sending you her information now."

The team drove to her house and went inside. Morgan and Daniels headed down to the basement where they found the unsub holding a gun against the head of Thomas. His father was tied up in the back of the room and the other five children were near him in cribs.

"Put the weapons down or I will shoot him," She said simply. Neither agent made a move, and she clicked the safety of the gun off. Daniels bent down and put her gun down almost instantly and Morgan moved slowly. "Against the wall." They both moved and she turned to face them. Her hand slid away from Thomas's mouth and the boy let out a scream. She hit him hard with the gun and he fell to the ground. She picked up both guns and kept hers trained on the boy's father. Hotch came down the stairs silently and stood behind her.

"Please, put down the gun," Morgan said.

She laughed, "You are in no position to bargain with me. Shut up; say anything else and I'll shoot."

"Please," Daniels spoke. "Put down the gun. That little boy needs a doctor, you know that. You don't want him to die. You love him."

"Shut up!" She yelled. "We were fine, until you showed up!"

"We're sorry. Just put down the gun," She said. "Let's get him help okay." The woman dropped her gun and Hotch rushed forward handcuffing her. Morgan set to work on the duct tape that was around the man's wrists, feet, and mouth. Daniel's picked up the little boy and carried him upstairs to the ambulance. Hotch came up with the woman who was sobbing. Behind him was the boy's father who ran to the ambulance. She went back down to help Morgan get the children and bring them upstairs to the ambulance.

That night Sarah woke up from a nightmare and headed outside. Spencer heard her waking up and followed her out.

"What's wrong?"

"Nightmare," She said shaking her head. "I was thinking about calling home, just to check on Hope. It's a reasonable time."

"You can, but what was your nightmare about?"

"What's going to happen to all those children?" She said. "They'll be shoved into foster care. It just sucks."

He sighed and nodded, "I know, but we saved one family. Jeremiah will get to live with his father and Thomas again."

"I know, but that just doesn't feel like enough."

"I know. This job sucks sometimes, but would you want to work anywhere else?"

"No," She said. "I can't even imagine it."

"Sometimes, we have to remember that we helped one family, and countless more that she would have killed if we weren't here."

"I know. I just hate cases like this," She said.

He nodded, "I know."

They quickly texted home and heard back that Hope was fine, and they were happy they were coming home. They headed back inside and collapsed. It had been a long case, even though it had only lasted three days.


	11. Family Fun

_So, this is for week four for May of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I chose the third prompt._

_"an amusement park, a water ride and sore feet"_

_Summary: The BAU takes a weekend trip to a new amusement park in town. Reid/OC, Morgan/Garcia, JJ/Will, Hotch/Beth_

It had been a while since we'd done anything fun at the BAU, so when Penelope suggested we all visit an amusement park we'd all agreed. It ended up being Spencer, Hope, Hotch, Beth, Jack, Penelope, Derek, Emily, Rossi, JJ, Will, Henry, and me at a crazy new place that had just opened up. We were all excited, but the three kids were most of all.

Jack was eleven and I could hardly believe it. He and I still got along really well, and he was always really great with Hope. He'd been really happy when Hotch and Beth had gotten married and I couldn't blame him. We were all happy and could see the changes in Hotch. They were a really sweet family.

Sweet little Henry was already seven and growing in leaps and bounds. He'd spend weekends with Spencer, Hope, and I every so often and was such a great kid. He'd stayed the sweet quiet little boy he was, and he was still great at getting what he wanted. It was a trick his Aunt Penny had taught him.

I couldn't believe that Hope was almost two years old. It seemed like just yesterday we'd been throwing her first birthday party and now she was growing up. She was so much like her father it scared me. She had shoulder length brown hair that fell in perfect waves. Her mannerisms were so much like his, right down to her sweet tooth. The only thing that she got from me were my blue eyes, and hers were flecked with chocolate brown. She was my world.

When we got their Jack and Morgan dragged us straight to the first roller coaster. It was absolutely mammoth with five or six flips.

"I think I'll sit this one out," I said holding tightly to Hope's tiny hand. There were too many people around for my liking and I knew crowds grew as the day progressed.

Jack made a face at me and turned to his father and Beth, "You guys are coming right?" Beth nodded immediately and Hotch looked apprehensive.

"Oh fearless leader you have to go," Emily teased. He nodded at Jack who looked over the moon.

"Are you coming Aunt Emily?" He asked.

She nodded, "Of course!"

Penelope had paled, "I'm gonna stick back with Sarah."

Morgan grabbed her arm, "Baby girl, you have to come."

"Chocolate god, I am not doing that, end of story."

"I'm gonna stay back with Henry," JJ said.

Henry shook his head, "I wanna go Momma."

"Baby boy, you're too short," She said. "Go check." He tried his best, but even on his tippy toes he wasn't quite tall enough. Will decided to go, much to JJ's surprise. Spencer and Rossi were hold outs.

"Pretty boy is coming," Morgan announced dragging Spencer over.

"Derek, I don't know," Spencer tried, but Morgan was determined. Hotch dragged Rossi on as well and they all got in line.

Most of the day I managed to avoid rides like the plague. I'd never liked roller coasters, and had never had a good experience on one. When I was extremely young I'd almost fallen off one that had no safety regulations, as a teenager I almost lost my eyeglasses on one, and once when I went with Spencer the ride broke almost resulting in us crashing into the cars in front of us. After that I refused to go on anymore rides, unless they were extremely safe and everyone was going. After a long day we ran into a water ride and even Hope was tall enough to go.

We sat her in between Spencer and me in the massive circle. It just fit all of us and was supposed to make sure everyone got soaked from head to toe. The ride was fairly slow, but the slight spinning did exactly what it promised and we were all soaked by the end of the ride. When Hope begged to go again everyone agreed and we ended up riding it three times before leaving the water ride. We ate outside and started walking again.

"Momma, I wanna go there," Henry said pointing at the children's part of the park. Hope nodded and grabbed Henry's hand.

"Me too, Mommy," She said. The other adults all groaned, even JJ looked disappointed.

I smiled, "Come on you two." JJ kissed Will and went to follow me. "JJ, go have fun."

"No, it's fine," She said shaking her head.

"The three of us will be good, right kids?" The small ones nodded frantically and she let me take Henry. Everything here was much smaller and there were fewer people than in the main part of the park.

"Aunt Sarah, can we go on that?" Henry asked pointing. I looked over to see one of the boat style rides that swung like a pendulum. I nodded and all three of us got on together. It never went too high, but the kids were overjoyed. "That was so much fun!"

"Again Mommy, again!" Hope cried clapping her hands.

The woman who was helping everyone off looked over, "You know there aren't enough people to fill the ride in line. You're welcome to ride again." I smiled gratefully and we went through the ride again.

The kids rode on a few of the rides and we all went on the ferris wheel before Hope started to get tired. I knew it was her nap time so I picked her up and Henry went on a few more rides himself. When he got bored we decided to walk through a few shops and he immediately chose the candy store.

"Mommy can we get one?" Hope asked holding an empty plastic tube. I walked closer to see Henry standing next to a machine that literally poured sugar into the tubes.

"I don't think that's a great idea sweetheart," I told her. "You'll both be really hyper."

"Please," Henry asked. "We'll be good, promise. Right Hope?" She nodded frantically and widened her eyes slightly.

"Guys, I said no," I reminded them.

Hope clasped her hands together, "Please Mommy! Pretty please."

I shook my head and Henry looked over at her, "It's okay. We'll just ask Aunt Penny later."

"You'll do no such thing. How about instead we get ice cream?" I said. Hope shook her head. "Alright, you guys really want this sugar stuff?" They both nodded. I grabbed one six inch tube, "You can share this."

"That's too small," Henry whined.

I reluctantly bought one for each kid, and told them they could have them at the end of the day. They were both unhappy, but glad they'd eventually get them. I was more than happy to have them behaving again.

A little while later they were complaining about their feet being sore. I decided to take the kids to a show where the animals did tricks and such. They were excited and we all got to take a break. When it ended I carried the kids to the exit to meet up with everyone else. Hope was sound asleep and Henry was fighting it off. JJ took Henry and we all headed home. It had been a great day, and I was happy to have spent it with my family.


	12. Curiosity

_So, this is for week one for June, of the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts. I chose the second prompt._

"_Somebody's curiosity gets the better of them."_

_Summary: _

"Uncle Spencer, how do you have a baby?" Henry asked looking up at his Uncle with curious wide eyes. He loved when his Uncle babysat him and he needed to talk to him about this. He'd been waiting for a few weeks to ask him when they were alone. When they'd started building a Lego model of a train he'd decided it was the perfect time.

Spencer Reid looked shocked at his young nephew's question. The little boy was only seven, and he was not sure what to tell him. He knew JJ would kill him if answered the kids' question, but he didn't want to lie. "Why do you wanna know buddy?"

"Cause," He said quietly. He picked up a few pieces from the kit and tried to get them to match the picture. He'd been hoping his godfather would just answer his questions.

"Spencer decided to prod a bit more into the little boy's question, "Cause why?"

"Well, cause you had a baby so you have to know," Henry said. "Plus you're the smartest person I know." He looked back into Spencer's eyes. He knew his Uncle Aaron would know, and he was pretty sure his Uncle Derek would know as well, but he'd rather ask Spencer. He had never been as close to his Uncle Aaron, and his Uncle Derek didn't explain things well. Uncle Spence always remembered to try and keep his answers kid friendly and was always around.

Spencer nodded, "But why do you need to know?" He didn't imagine this had come from nowhere, and if he knew the motivation he might be able to come up with something to say.

"Well," He said. "I want Momma and Daddy to have a baby, cause then I could be a big brother like Jack's gonna be."

Spencer nodded slowly trying to figure out a way out of this. He couldn't answer Henry's question, so he decided to dart around the subject. He figured out the perfect solution to the problem, but first to answer his initial question. "Well Henry, why don't you ask them?"

"Cause they might say no," He said. "And I really want to be a big brother. Will you tell me?"

He shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea, you should ask your parents, but guess what?"

"What?" The little boy said dejectedly. He hadn't expected Uncle Spence to say no, he never said no to Henry.

Spencer smiled at his godson, "You know how I'm your godfather?" Henry nodded, "Well you are my godson, and Hope is my daughter. So that makes you kinda like her big brother."

Henry smiled really big and then looked unhappy, "What do you have to do when you're a big brother? I don't know how."

"Well you have to help your little brother or sister and take care of them. You have to give them advice and protect them." Spencer told him.

Henry nodded, "I'm gonna try and be the bestest big brother for Hope ever! Thank you Uncle Spence!"

Spencer smiled at Henry, "I know you will."

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Because you already have been," He told him.

Henry's eyes widened, "Really?" He didn't remember being Hope's brother before, but was excited to know he'd done a good job.

Spencer nodded trying to look serious, "Of course. Who played with Hope when she was a baby and your Aunt Sarah and I were busy?"

"I did," He said. "Momma said Hope couldn't play a lot so I played stuffed animals with her and I did puppet shows."

"Who helped Hope learn how to count?" HE prompted.

Henry smiled, "I did! She could only count to ten, and she was having trouble with the other numbers so I tried to help her."

"Who was standing behind Hope when she started walking?"

"Me!" He exclaimed. "She wanted Aunt Sarah and you and so she stood up and I didn't want her to fall down."

"See, you played with her, helped her, and protected her," He said.

Henry gasped, "I did. I'm Hope's big brother!"

Spencer smiled and nodded, "Yup, and you did a great job."

The two played for a while until JJ got home. Spencer pulled her aside to tell her about Henry's curiosity.

"My son asked you what?" She asked astounded.

He smiled, "He wanted to know where babies come from. I wouldn't tell him, so I'm sure he'll still try and find out."

"He's seven! Why would he want to know that?" She asked still shocked.

Spencer smirked, "He wants to be a big brother. I may have managed to steer him away from that now though. I told him he was Hope's big brother, since he was my godson."

She gave a small laugh, "That's cute Spence. Thanks for filling me in and trying to save us from this issue. With Henry though I don't see it helping for too long. Apparently we have a lot to talk about when Will gets home."


	13. Summer Competition

"Daddy I can't believe we're going to vacation!" Hope said bouncing on her toes as her father looked through his clothes.

"Come on," His wife Sarah said sticking her head in the room, "We're all going shopping."

Spencer glanced at her curiously, "Why?"

She giggled, "Spence, its summer and we're going to the Florida Keys. You'll have a heat stroke in your clothes, and Hope's outgrown her summer things. Plus we need bathing suits, sunscreen, and some sort of float for Hope. She's still learning how to swim."

He nodded and loaded them into the car to buy what his wife considered a Florida appropriate wardrobe. He knew she was probably right as she'd lived in Miami for years, so he went along with it quietly.

The next morning Spencer and Sarah were loading the car and Hope looked positively enthralled. The whole BAU team had the next two weeks off for their mandated vacation time. Rather than just stay home liked they'd been doing since the Fisher King case they decided to stick together and go on a trip. All three of the older kids were bouncing off the walls. Last year they'd gone to the amusement park and a few other local attractions, and this year they were going on a real vacation for a week.

They met up with everyone outside the airport. Aaron and Beth stood next to each other and Hotch had smile on his face as he looked at little Matthew, the family's newest addition. JJ and Will were holding hands and watching the kids run around. They'd been on the most vacations, since they'd go to see Will's family so this was less new for them. Hope, Jack, and Henry ran around playing a spirited game of tag that Hope always lost. She was too small to outrun the older boys, and too slow to catch them easily. Derek and Penelope were flirting with each other. Even after they became a married couple they still flirted like there was no tomorrow. Dave was running late, and Emily was talking with Sarah and Spencer.

The family finally got to board the plane and they all took seats. Penelope and Derek, JJ and Will, Beth and Matthew, Aaron and Dave, Sarah and Spencer, Jack and Henry, and Emily and Hope ended up sitting together. Hope fell asleep a few minutes into the early morning plane ride. When they landed Emily carried the little girl along with her things and Hope's, so the little girl could sleep. Sarah took her in the terminal as the loud noises were waking her up and she was always cranky in the morning. Everyone grabbed their things and they headed to the hotel they were staying in.

Tiki was a legendary hotel that was known for its tiki bar and docks. Even people who didn't stay there would come visit. It was on Islamorada, which was one of the middle islands.

"Uncle Spence," Henry said. "How are there people sitting on the ocean?"

Spencer smiled at the three pairs of curious eyes that were waiting for an answer to the question, "It's called a sandbar. The sand built up right there so people go sit on it. It makes them feel like they're sitting on the ocean."

"I wanna go sit on a sand bar!" The children exclaimed.

Sarah smiled, "How about we go put our stuff in the rooms and put on sunscreen first? I'm used to the sun in Miami, and I still where sunscreen here."

Derek and Spencer both refused any sunscreen, but they all took the kids down to the private hotel beach. Emily, Sarah, JJ, Beth, and Hope looked for sea shells. Henry, Will, Aaron, and Matthew played in the sand. Derek, Spencer, and Jack went into the water. Dave sat nearby with a good book relaxing with his family.

"Momma what kind of shell is this?" Hope asked.

Sarah looked at the shell Hope was holding up and smiled, "It's a conch honey. Here put it against your ear." She instructed the little girl. "You can hear the ocean." Hope giggled gleefully at the sounds coming from the shell.

That night the family ate at a burger restaurant that was at the hotel. It sold some of the best burgers they had ever eaten and they knew they'd be back before their vacation ended.

The next morning Spencer Reid could barely get out of bed. Next door Derek Morgan was having the same problem. They both had sunburns that you could only get in the Florida Keys. Spencer's entire body was bright red, and even Derek had a slight pink tinge.

They met up in the hotel lobby, minus the two men. Sarah raised an eyebrow when Penelope approached alone, "I take it Derek is sunburned too?" She nodded.

Hope shook her head, "Daddy's skin is all red and blotchy. He said its cause he should of listened to Momma cause she's always right." Everyone laughed at the small child's antics and started in on the free breakfast the hotel provided.

"We should take advantage of it and shop today. You know neither of them would have wanted to come," Penelope said smiling.

Will smiled, "I can take the kids so you all can go shop and the three of you can have a day off." He gestured at Aaron, Dave, and Beth.

Dave nodded, "I'm in the mood for a restful day. The hotel rooms have fairly decent kitchens. How about I cook up dinner?"

Everyone nodded and Hotch smiled at Will, "I'm sure we'd appreciate the day off."

"Kids, you all want to go to the water park we saw?" Will asked and they all nodded. The place was small and built for young kids.

Henry smiled, "Daddy can we do the hotel scavenger hunt?" His father nodded and the kids all smiled. Aaron and Beth headed upstairs. Will took Matthew, Jack, Henry, and Hope to the front lobby to ask about the scavenger hunt, Dave headed out to buy what he needed to cook. Emily, JJ, Sarah, and Penelope all headed to hit the Key Largo shopping centers.

A few hours later Spencer and Derek dragged themselves out of bed. They'd been alerted to the day's plans, so they decided to spend the day hanging out around the bar that was inside the hotel. It would keep them out of the sun, and they could have some fun as well.

"Dear God pretty boy," Derek said. "You look awful!"

Spencer rolled his eyes, "You don't look much better."

The two men drank and ate all afternoon ignoring the women who tried to come by and hit on them. Finally they headed back upstairs exhausted by the heat.

Around four Hope and Sarah slid back into their hotel room and Spencer woke up. Sarah reached into her bag and took out a green bottle which she passed to Spencer.

"Its aloe," She informed him. "It'll help your sunburn. Come on sweet heart; let's go wash the chlorine out of your hair."

They all met up for the dinner in Dave's hotel room. They ate the food he'd made them ad stayed talking until the three youngest children were all asleep and Jack was also starting to doze off. They each carried their children to their rooms and slept until the next morning.

On the third day of their trip the family headed to Key Largo. It was a cute island, and very tourist friendly. They started by going on a glass bottom boat tour that allowed them all to stay out of the sun, but still see the coral reefs and the fish. Then they barbequed hotdogs and hit Canon Beach.

"Daddy," Hope said in a quiet voice. "Can we go see the ship wreck?"

He glanced out to where the ship wreck was. It was a fairly long swim and he knew Hope couldn't swim very well. He looked back down at the little girl who was looking up at him with big eyes. He looked at Sarah who was shaking her head.

"Hope," She said. "You know it's really far out and you're not a very good swimmer."

Her eyes started to water and her mom sighed, "Alright."

Spencer smiled at her and she put her book down. "Does anyone else want to swim out with us?" Henry and Jack both nodded and Aaron agreed to come too.

The three adults helped the kids out to the ship wreck where things got complicated. The boys dove under water with their masks to look. Hotch went with them, but Hope was too small.

Sarah held out her arms and Spencer swam over and passed her the toddler. She instructed her to take a deep breath and they plunged under water for a minute before they came back up. They repeated this a few times before she swam back with the little girl on her back.

Spencer stayed with Hotch and the boys inspecting the ancient ship. They swam back and he sat next to his wife. JJ, Emily, Penelope, and Beth were in the water playing with Matthew in the shallow water. Will and Derek were talking. Rossi was sitting back and working on what they would soon learn was his latest book. Hotch was playing with the older kids. Hope toddled over exhausted and fell asleep in his lap.

"Having fun?" His wife asked him.

He smiled and nodded, "Apart from the sun burn this has been great. I'm glad we finally took a trip."

She nodded, "It's been really good for everyone."

After Hope woke up they hiked down a trail with a guide and then made their way back to Islamorada for dinner.

The team spent two days in Key West exploring the shops and all the historical sights the small island had to offer. The kids pet sharks and explored Hemmingway's house. By the end of day five of their trip the adults were starting to feel exhaustion set in. They decided to spend the next day lounging around the hotel and just hanging out.

After putting on large amounts of sunscreen they headed to the hotel beach. Matthew was sitting with Beth and Aaron in the sand when he slowly stood up. "Water." He pointed. Hope came over and smiled.

"Come on Matthew!" She said holding out her hands. "We'll go in the water." The small child took a small step and the adults all stared shocked. He hadn't started walking yet. He fell down after that and Aaron helped him up and the boy slowly made his way to the water.

Beth went over to where the girls were sitting and watching. "He's growing up so fast!"

They all nodded and talked about how fast the kids had grown up. After a while the sun set and they brought food out to the kids. They ate outside and sat watching the sun set. Hope, Matthew, and Henry fell asleep in their parent's laps and they decided to make their way inside.

The team spent their last day at the beach and then headed to the airport. They flew home and the adults carried their sleeping children home. It had been a great vacation.


	14. Paddle Boating

_This is for the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts, July Week 2. The prompt was "Swimming, paddle boat, and tired kids."_

_Emily decides to take the BAU kids for a summer trip. Hotch/Beth, Spencer/OC, Morgan/Garcia, JJ/Will_

**Paddle Boating**

Emily was starting to regret agreeing to take the kids. She'd made the rookie mistake of letting them have sugar after lunch, and they were bouncing off the walls. She watched them from her chair as they ran around outside.

She'd decided she wanted to spend some time with all the kids, but her apartment was too small. When Penelope and Derek had offered to let her stay at one of Derek's houses for a day or two with them she had known it would be beautiful, but that was an understatement. The place was on a small lake and had a dock. The yard was massive and it was huge. He'd done a great job fixing it up.

"Aunt Emily," Hope asked smiling at her. "Can we go in the lake? We want to go swimming." The three boys all had identical grins on their faces and she nodded. The kids ran inside to get changed and she followed them. She changed herself and helped Matthew into a float of some sort. She followed the still hyper kids outside. They went to the end of the dock and the older three jumped in right away. Emily jumped in after them and caught Matthew when he jumped.

They played in the shallow part of the lake for an hour or so until Matthew started to get tired. Emily hopped out of the water with him and sat on the dock holding him as he fell asleep.

"Emily," Jack called. "Can we go out in the paddle boat?"

"I don't know buddy," She said. "Maybe later, but right now I think we should go in. Matthew needs to take a nap."

"He's already asleep," Henry said.

Hope smiled, "You can hold him and we'll take turns paddling!"

Emily sighed. She couldn't say no to the kids, she was a bit of a pushover. "Fine, but we can't go too far out." They all nodded and pushed the boat into the water. Emily watched as they all put on life jackets and she put one on the sleeping baby boy and herself. Hope and Jack climbed in the front and Henry sat down next to her. They paddled for a while and she caught herself looking around more than she was paying attention to the kids. The area was really beautiful, and the view from the small boat was amazing.

"My turn," Henry said loudly.

Hope nodded, "Alright. I'm tired."

They carefully switched places and the boat rocked slightly. When Hope sat down she rested her head on Emily's shoulder. "You okay baby girl?" She nodded rubbing her eyes and they started moving again. After a few minutes Hope was asleep and Emily went back to looking at the scenery.

"Aunt Em," Henry called. "We're on an island!" she realized they had gone to the small island in the middle of the lake.

"Boys, I thought I said not to go too far!" She said exasperated.

Jack shrugged, "I don't know how to turn around."

Emily laughed at the boy's innocent expressions. They hadn't meant to go too far. Hope woke up when she felt Emily moving. "Well let's head back to the house."

Everyone got up and they turned the boat around and started paddling. About half way back they stopped.

"Hope, I'm tired," Henry said.

She shook her head, "I am too!"

Jack nodded, "I'm getting tired too."

Emily sighed and looked towards the dock, "Alright Hope and Henry, stay put. Jack hop into the water." The boy listened and Emily helped him into the now cramped back of the boat. She passed him Matthew and jumped into the water. "Hold onto your brother, understand?"

"Yes ma'am," He told her. She sighed and turned to Henry who was crying next to her.

"What's wrong kiddo?"

He sniffled, "I can't do it anymore and now we're gonna be stuck and it's our fault cause we went too far! Now we're gonna be in trouble."

"You're not in trouble," She said wiping a tear. She forgot sometimes that Henry was still only seven and Hope was four, especially since they played so well with Jack. When they got tired they were still kids. "We'll get home in a little while." She set to peddling. She knew she had to peddle quickly, since it was just her. Slowly they got back to the dock and she helped all the kids inside and they all changed. The younger three went to bed and Jack took a shower before coming to sit with her in the kitchen.

"Emily, are you gonna tell Mom and Dad about the boat thing?" He asked.

She smiled, "Eventually. When it's been so long that it won't matter anymore."

He smiled back. "Thanks."

"No problem buddy. You wanna go grab Matthew?" He nodded and headed to the small room where the boys were staying. He came back in with Matthew following him. She gave the boys a snack and turned on cartoons before sitting down with them.

Later the other two woke up and she left the kids sitting when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Em," Beth's voice came through the phone. "I was just calling to check on the boys."

"They're good. We're having fun."

"Good," She said. "I'm probably being ay too nervous. We've never sent Matthew off before. They're behaving?"

Emily laughed, "Yeah, they've been great. Well actually I made the mistake of giving them ice cream, but after that wore off they've been good."

"Oh," She laughed. "Well that's good I suppose. Thanks for taking them."

"IT's no problem," She said. "Having fun?"

"It's nice having the house to ourselves." She admitted.

Emily smiled, "Do you wanna talk to the boys?"

"No," She said. "I just had to check in on them. They'd be frustrated, especially Jack. I promised not to call all the time."

"Alright, well bye Beth." Emily said.

"Bye Emily."

Emily smiled and looked out at the kids. She made a big pot of macaroni and cheese and everyone crowded around the big round table.

"I had so much fun today," Hope said giggling. "Thanks for bringing us Aunt Em."

"Yeah," Matthew said. "Tank you!"

Henry smiled and nodded, "This is so cool. We should do it all the time!"

"Maybe not," Emily said laughing. "But I'm glad you all are having fun."

"Thanks Emily. We love you." Jack said. The others all smiled as they came forward and hugged her.


	15. True Genius

_This is for an August prompt. The quote at the beginning was the prompt. Hope you like it!_

"Sometimes, I kinda get this feeling like… like maybe I should have done something more in my life."

Later Emily pulled Spencer aside to talk with him and then there was the surprise party. He'd celebrated his birthday small scale with his family, but he was happy about celebrating with his whole family. Spencer was already feeling better. When he and Sarah arrived home Hope launched herself at her Daddy's legs.

"You're home," She yelled hugging him tightly. He lifted her up as Penelope came around the corner.

Sarah hugged her and thanked her for watching the munchkin. They talked briefly about Garcia's pregnancy before she left.

"Did you miss us?" Sarah asked turning to her daughter.

Hope nodded still hugging her daddy. "So much, Mommy! I drew you pictures in school!"

"Really?" She gasped smiling at the small child. "Can we see them?" She nodded and Spencer put her down. The little girl dashed away and came back with two pictures.

"This one is our family with everybody," She said pointing to the crude drawing of the BAU. "This one is of you and Daddy."

"These are perfect," Spencer declared. "I think they should go on the fridge till we can frame them for the family picture wall." She smiled as he helped her hang them up.

"Daddy, will you read to me?" She asked.

He smiled, "What do you want me to read?"

"Harry Potter," She said. "Auntie Penny reads it different and it's not the same."

He smiled and headed over to the couch with her. Sarah went and cooked so they could eat. They ate together listening as Hope babbled about everything that happened when they were gone. They tucked her into bed and were unpacking their go-bags so they could repack them later.

"So Emily was telling me that you feel like you should do something better with your life," She said.

He sighed, "I don't know. I mean I just didn't imagine my life this way," He admitted.

She nodded, "I know. Neither did I, but your decision did make a difference. If you didn't work at the FBI countless lives wouldn't have been saved."

He nodded, "I know. Em and I were talking about it earlier."

"We'd never have met," She said quieter. "And there would be two lives that wouldn't exist."

"I know and I wouldn't trade you two for anything." He said kissing her. Then he stopped. "Wait, did you say two?"

She turned smiling, "I did. We're having another baby Spence." They kissed for a moment. "Maybe you didn't cure schizophrenia, or start a billion dollar business, or any of that, but you're an amazing husband to me and a spectacular father to our daughter and you're going to be a perfect father to our baby when their born."

"Your right," He said. "I didn't live up to expectations. I surpassed them. You're amazing, you know that?"

She smiled, "Why thank you. You're pretty amazing yourself. I'm gonna start the laundry, you gonna write a letter to Diana?" He nodded and she kissed his head before carrying the clothes from their case out of the room. "Send her my best."

_Dear mom,_

_This has been a strange week. I wondered at first if I had been a disappointment. I certainly never imagined my life being life this. Then I came to realize that maybe this wasn't what I expected, but its better._

_Sarah and I are doing well. She told me today that we're having another child and I couldn't be happier. It's a crazy thing to think of, having two small children, but I'm excited. Hope was such a blessing and this baby will be too. Sarah said to send you her best and that she hopes you're doing well."_

_Hope is doing amazingly. Remember, she's in kindergarten; she's just a year younger than the other kids. She's also in gifted classes now. She loves to read and devours books. Right now I'm reading her Harry Potter in the afternoons and we'll read her classics before bed. She's getting so big, and I can't wait for you to see her again!_

_I love you, _

_Spencer Reid_

He sealed the letter and put it into the mailbox to be taken in the morning. He and Sarah settled into bed for the night. It had been a great day for their family, and he couldn't be happier.


	16. The End of the Prank War

_This is for a July prompt. The quote was "Boys, behave or I'll have to ground you both." Hope you like it!_

As JJ walked onto the jet she stumbled over a thin string that sent water pouring down on her. She looked up to see a bucket hanging upside down above her head. Grumbling she continued walking when she tripped yet again. She felt a powder floating down around her and she realized that she was far from being done with this prank. She moved quickly onto the jet and glared at Morgan who was already there. When he saw her he started to laugh hysterically.

"Derek Morgan, what is all over me?"

He shrugged and she rolled her eyes before walking into the bathroom and changing. She tried to wash the stuff out of her hair and realized the powder had turned into glue when it met with the water she was coated in. She gave up quickly on getting it out without a shower and went back into the jet.

"Boys," She said annoyed. "Behave or I'll have to ground you both." She'd said this before, and now with Henry it was second nature.

"JJ, we're grown men," Morgan said teasing. "You can't ground us."

She glared, "Maybe not, but I can tell your wives that I've been the victim of three pranks this week!"

Both men were obviously worried by the threat. The two women were quite pregnant and hormonal. They both shrunk back in their seats at the idea of their reactions. They were scar on the best of days.

"We'll be more careful," Spencer said quickly.

She nodded, "Good. What is this stuff anyway?"

"It was powdered glue." Morgan informed her. "They use it for crafts and stuff."

"How do I get it out of my hair?" She said rolling her eyes.

He shrugged, "I don't know. That was never a part of the plan. I figured boy genius over here would figure something out."

"You two had better figure out how to fix it by the time we land, or so help you both." She said going to sit down. Everyone was watching and snickering at this point.

"Try dish soap," Hotch whispered to her. "It gets it out of Jack's clothes and hair most of the time."

"Thank you," She said smiling. "The two of them act less mature than the boys sometimes." Hotch nodded in agreement.

Thanks to Hotch's suggestion the glue came out of her hair after a few washes and they got through the next week uneventfully. She dared to hope that they'd ended the prank war.

"Hey boys," She said. She went to lean on Morgan's desk and Spencer jumped up to stop her, but he was too late. She set her elbow in a sticky substance and went to jerk away which knocked over a glass that was on the desk. The liquid spilled onto the desk and it started to fizz in a small explosion all over JJ and the desk.

"That is it!" She yelled. She straightened up. The front of her shirt was coated in the foam that the explosion had created and her arms were sticky from the stuff on the desk. Both men looked afraid of her wrath. She stormed out with her phone in her hand. Within thirty minutes Sarah and Penelope were there, and you could tell they were unhappy.

"What's this we heard about you two tormenting JJ?" Sarah said raising her eyebrows.

Spencer turned pink, "We didn't mean to. He started it."

"Oh my God," Penelope said. "Are you two still having that stupid prank war? I swore I told you to give it up ages ago! After you came home so stressed because Reid messed up your music, I warned you to let it go, but no. You had to have this long drawn out testosterone war and now-"

"Baby girl," Morgan started. He wanted to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"Don't you baby girl me," She said furiously. "You had best apologize to JJ now and if I hear anything about this prank war again you will both be very sorry and I mean that."

"I second it," Sarah added. "I swear you are like children sometimes. Some of these pranks aren't even funny anymore. I spent hours getting the blue dye off of Hope's hands after you put it on the coffee cup handles. I warned you then and I'm warning you now, no more pranks."

The boys both nodded and headed up the stairs to apologize to JJ.

"So, truce," Spencer said.

Derek nodded, "Yeah. It's not worth making Penelope mad. Truce."


	17. December 1: Starting the Season

_December Drabbles have started at the Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts forum. I've decided to try and write one for each day this year. This is for the December 1 prompts, outside Christmas light and first snowfall. I meant to do one, and ended up doing both. It's 398 words without authors notes. Enjoy._

JJ smiled as she looked out the window. It was December first and it was starting to snow for the first time this year. The whole team was coming to their house to visit and she was excited. The kids were all growing up so fast and they were so busy. JJ placed a hand on her stomach. She was excited about the twins coming.

The doorbell rang and she heard Henry opening the door. She walked over to see Emily with someone she'd never met.

"Hey JJ," She said smiling. "This is Christian."

"It's nice to finally meet you," JJ held out a hand. "This is my son Henry. My husband should be home soon with the tree."

"Nice to finally meet some of Emily's friends," He replied. "I was worried she was trying to hide you all."

"We can be a bit over the top," JJ warned. "Come on in out of the cold."

"Wait for us," Hope yelled as she hopped out of the car. She grabbed her baby sister Juliet's hand tightly as they ran towards the door.

"Hi Aunt Emily, Hi Aunt J, Hi Henry," Juliet said smiling and hugging them. "Who are you?"

"This is Christian," Emily chuckled, "He's a friend of mine."

He bent down and smiled, "Hi there kiddo. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," She said smiling. "I'm Juliet and this is my big sister Hope."

"Hi," Sarah said picking up the toddler. "I'm Sarah and that's my husband Spencer. Nice of Emily to finally bring you around."

Will came in after about ten minutes with the big tree. Derek and Penelope came with the twins, Cindy and Luis. Aaron and Beth brought Jack and Matthew. Dave came with Ashley who had become like an adopted child.

The kids stayed inside with Penelope, JJ, Sarah, Emily, and Beth putting the lights and ornaments on the tree. Dave and Ashley worked in the kitchen. Will, Derek, Christian, Spencer, and Aaron set up the outside lights.

Finally they ate their meal and headed outside to see the lights. With the snow falling gently the lights shined beautifully and made the whole house seem to glow.

"Gotcha!" Hope yelled throwing a snowball at her father. He turned to her smiling and a massive snowball fight ensued with the whole BAU family smiling and laughing until everyone finally headed home.


	18. Baby It's Cold Outside

_For the second day of December we have Baby it's Cold Outside. This story is 339 words. Enjoy!_

"I've really can't stay," Emily said smiling at Christian. The snow had gotten harder as the night progressed, but it was late and she wanted to be at home. He'd been begging her to stay.

"Baby, look outside." He said gesturing at the window.

She rolled her eyes, "I've got to go. This has been great, but honestly I'm supposed to meet up with the team in the morning. Garcia will worry sick."

"Em, it's almost criminal to let you out. Let's stay in, keep drinking eggnog by the fireplace and just relax." He begged. Emily was always so nervous and busy. He felt like she deserved one nice night.

She sighed, "Maybe just a little more. You're so good at making eggnog, it's almost too good. Just while I wait for a cab, my car won't make it in this weather."

"There are no cabs with the weather like this. I promise we'll just sit here where it's warm. You can stay in the guest bedroom."

After about ten minutes Emily stood up again, "I simply must go."

"Baby it's freezing. Please stay."

"I said no."

"Em, look at the storm."

"The boys will tease me endlessly if I'm late. JJ will know something's up."

"It's almost a blizzard. The snow's up to your knees."

"I'll never hear the end of this."

He laughed, "I can't let you out. I'd feel so awful. I mean you could catch pneumonia, which is a very serious disease."

She laughed along with him, "Well I suppose. It really is cold outside."

"I knew I'd convince you," He said smiling and taking her hat and coat to hang them up. "Now let's enjoy a peaceful evening. Eggnog, hot cocoa, the fireplace, and until the power turns off we'll watch movies."

"Sounds great," She admitted, "I suppose I should be thankful for this blizzard."

He nodded, "We'll finally have a work free evening."

"It's a little gift to us from mother nature," She agreed as they headed to the kitchen hand in hand.


	19. Decorating

_For the third day of drabbles my prompt was Christmas tree. I hope you enjoy the happy fluff. This one is 367 words. Enjoy. _

"Mama," A little hand tugged Penelope's dress. She moved her book to look towards her kids. "When are we gonna make our Christmas tree?"

Penny smiled at her twins. They were so adorable. Cindy looked like her daddy and had dark curly hair and brown eyes. Luis on the other hand was his mother's child with blond hair and blue eyes. Derek had left on a consult and the kids were jealous. They'd helped set up the tree at JJ and Will's house and the school tree already, but didn't have one of their own yet. Derek had promised to get one when he came home.

"I don't know my doves, but how about we make Christmas decorations. We can decorate the whole house, so when Daddy comes back with the tree it'll look like the houses on TV.

The kids cheered happily and Garcia beamed at their excitement. She took them to their room and took out paper, glitter, glue, and safety scissors. She sat watching the kids draw. She herself drew doves and helped the kids print their names and then let them draw all over them. She'd put them up on the tree. They made snowflakes, trails of men, strung popcorn, and drew little pictures to hang when Penny heard the door open. They all ran over to see Morgan putting the three into the stand with a plop. The kids were quickly inspecting it and giggling.

"Daddy we made all the decorations!"

"Yeah, we even made doves to hang on the tree." Cindy added happily to her brother's statement.

They quickly opened the big box of ornaments from the years before. Garcia chuckled at the huge bin of "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments. While this was the kids second Christmas, it was the first one they could really participate in. She loved their faces as they carried the pretty glass orbs over to the tree and hung them. She knew some would have to be moved higher later, since they couldn't reach very high on the huge tree, but that was fine.

Derek reached over and hugged her from behind, "Merry Christmas baby girl."

Penelope kissed him and smiled, "Merry Christmas my chocolate god."


	20. Magical Sounds

_For the fourth day of Christmas/Winter we have: Attending a concert during a blizzard. God I'm enjoying these. Only 240 words today. Enjoy!_

JJ smiled as the band played. The family had decided to come to a Christmas concert. Henry was having a great time and so were she and Will. She reached around her son to hold his hand. Suddenly the power went off and there was silence.

"Excuse me," A voice yelled from the direction of the stage. "It appears the storm got worse and put out our power. Can everyone with cell phones or other light sources please turn the lights up?" Slowly the dark building was filled with dim lights. JJ pulled out her phone and passed Henry a flashlight from her purse. She carried it for work, but they came in handy.

The voice returned, "Now if everyone can stay quiet we'll play. If you know the words sing along to help get the music to our guests in the back."

The gentle acoustic music slowly filtered through the building. Will pulled Henry into his lap and moved closer to his wife resting a hand on her swollen stomach. They leaned back and just listened. There was something magical about this.

"Excuse me, would you like some hot chocolate? We're trying to give it away before it gets too cold." A concession man said. They all nodded and took the small Styrofoam cups. They sat there drinking the warm liquid and listening.

"Mama," Henry said softly. "Is this magic?"

JJ smiled at Henry. "It is. It really is."


	21. Christmas Cookies

_For the fifth day of Christmas/Winter we have: Christmas Cookies. 470 words Enjoy!_

"Glad you could make it kid," Dave said as Ashley came in.

She smiled, "Of course. Like you could handle all the kids alone."

They walked into the kitchen where all the BAU kids were sitting with aprons on. Hope was next to Juliet who was in her high chair. Cindy and Luis were smiling widely. Matthew smiled up at them happily as they came in and put down his toy car. The older boys were standing next to Hope and also smiled widely at them.

"Anyone who wants to help bake cookies had better wash their hands." Dave said. All the kids scurried out, except Juliet who frowned.

"Unca Dave, I wanna help too," She said. "Is I too little?"

He frowned. "Maybe, but I have an idea." He lifted her up and helped her clean her hands. He took the dough out of the fridge. He'd made massive amounts the day before, since he was planning on sending all the kids home with some. He set her down with a small ball of dough, a plastic rolling pin, and a few small plastic cookie cutters he didn't plan to use. He covered the area in flour for her. "Alright kiddo, try to make some cookies with this and I'll make your special, separate from all the other kids. Okay?"

"Yeah," She smiled happily and took the ball of dough awkwardly in her hands.

Dave and Ashley helped the kids make batch after batch of cookies and set them out to cool. Finally they mixed the sugary icing and all sat around the big table he'd already coated in plastic to decorate them.

"Unca Dave, I finished!" Juliet yelled. He helped put her cookies into the oven. Ashley sat with her helping her decorate the cookies. When hers came out she decorated those too before it was time to leave. They separated the cookies into multiple containers and the kids all left with their parents, except Hope and Juliet who were the last ones.

"Unca Dave," Juliet said pulling his pants. "I want you to have this one." She held up one of her cookies. It was supposed to be an angel. It was a little misshapen, but he could still tell.

"I love it," He said hugging her as Ashley let in the girls' parents. He carried Juliet out to the car and kissed Hope's head. He waved as they drove off.

"You know you're really good with them," Ashley said draping an arm on his shoulder. "They're lucky to have you around."

"Thanks kid. I'm lucky to have them too." He said smiling. He was truly blessed to have such a huge family. After all his divorces he'd lost hope, but it turns out being married to his job had given him the best family of all.


	22. Grinchmas

_December 6, we have The Grinch as our prompt. I loved this story as a kid! 338 words today._

"Daddy, read this one!" Juliet exclaimed handing Spencer a book. He looked down to see _How the Grinch Stole Christmas._ He smiled at his girls and started to read.

_"And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, he whizzed with his load through the bright morning light. He brought back the toys and the food for the feast. And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beef." _

The girls smiled widely. "Daddy, I'm glad the Grinch's heart grew!" Juliet said smiling.

Hope looked up innocently, "Daddy, are the bad guys at your work like the Grinch? Maybe if you could make their hearts bigger they'd good guys."

Sarah came in and handed each of her family members a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows. "Honey, it doesn't work like that."

"That's not the problem. They have a problem in their brains, not their hearts." Spencer offered.

The girls frowned, "Oh."

"Mommy, tell us a story about Christmas." Hope asked smiling. "Please do a happy one."

"One Christmas a few years ago there was this really cold day. I was trying to drive out to the airport; it was around three in the morning. My car froze and stopped working. I couldn't get a hold of anyone, and finally your daddy answered his phone. He drove out to me and picked me up. We'd been dating for a year, but we were still far from being your Mommy and Daddy.

We went back to his house because it was closer. We got inside and it was freezing. We started a fire in his fireplace and made a huge pot of coffee with lots of sugar. We spent Christmas telling stories and drinking coffee. It was the first Christmas we ever spent together."

"Then you became Mommy and Daddy!" Juliet yelled.

They smiled and laughed. Juliet climbed up into Spencer's lap and Hope crawled into Sarah's. The kids rested their heads on their parents' chests. They sat listening to the fire crackling as the kids fell asleep.


	23. Snow Day!

_December 7, we have snow day. I'm excited about these prompts. 431 words_

Aaron Hotchner smiled as he read the words on the screen. The snow had piled up enough on the roads that school was out for at least two days. Most parents cringed at the idea of two days with their kids, but he couldn't be more excited. He couldn't believe how fast Jack was growing up. He was already fifteen. He'd vowed to spend more time with his boys, but with Jack being in school and his odd work schedule they never seemed to have time. He'd probably spent more time with Matt in four years than he had with Jack in the first seven of his life.

"Morning Dad," Jack grumbled as he came out.

Hotch cracked a rare smile at the sight of his son. Jack's hair was a mess and he was still half asleep. "I have some pretty great news."

"What?"

"Snow day," Hotch exclaimed. The words woke his son up instantly as the boy ran to the window to look outside.

"That's awesome!" He yelled.

Aaron nodded, "I'd like to spend the day hanging out. Whatever you want to do."

"Really?" Jack asked. "Snow ball fight?"

Aaron chuckled, "Just like when you were a kid. Just go get dressed first."

The boys headed outside until a little boy ran out in between them. His dark brown hair was a mess all over his head. His pajamas were too thin to keep out the cold and his feet were bare. "Daddy, can I play?"

Aaron wrapped the boy up in his coat and lifted him off the ground, "Matthew, what did we tell you about coming outside in the cold?"

"To wear boots, a coat, a scarf, mittens, and long pants and a shirt," He recited. "But I wanted to play with you and Jack."

Jack laughed, "Matt, come on. Let's eat breakfast first."

"Okay!" He yelled.

Jack took Matthew once they were inside and Hotch started making pancakes. He'd mixed batter the night before when he saw the snow start to fall. Beth was out of town for work, and so it was his job to cook.

"Breakfast is served," He said as they dug into the food.

After they ate the boys built a snowman, snow forts, and continued the snowball fight. After lunch Aaron put in a movie and made hot cocoa. He sat on the big couch next to Jack with Matthew on his lap. He looked forward to the next few days with his boys. He couldn't believe how fast they seemed to grow up, and he didn't want to miss it.


	24. Dog Walks and Stories

_December 8, Taking a dog for a walk in the snow. 482 words. Enjoy._

Derek Morgan laughed at the sight before him. His son had insisted on walking Clooney "all by myself!" He'd handed the boy the leash and followed behind him with Cindy and Penelope. Halfway around the block Cindy had run over and jumped on Clooney's back. Within seconds the dog was gently wrestling with the two toddlers. The leash had gotten them all tangled up and they were covered in snow. Penelope was trying to free them, but both the dog and the children kept squirming.

"Everyone stop," He finally said. His whole family looked up at him as he approached. He unhooked the leash from Clooney's collar. "Stay." He firmly commanded the dog. He untangled first the kids, and then the dog before fixing the leash.

"Silly Clooney," Cindy said hugging the dog. Penelope started brushing off the kids, who were instantly complaining about being wet and cold. They hurried home and sat down in front of the big fireplace.

Derek wrapped the twins up in a big fuzzy blanket and kissed them on their foreheads. "Maybe next time you should wait to play with Clooney till we're inside, huh?

The kids nodded fiercely and he ruffled their hair. "So what do you two munchkins want to do now?"

"Stories!" The kids yelled and grabbed a photo book that JJ had made when Penny and Derek got married. It was all the pictures of them from over the years. She'd left empty space in the back that they were still filling.

Penny smiled as the kids pointed to a picture she couldn't believe they still had. "That's from Uncle Aaron's wedding. We had just gotten engaged and we were dancing when your cousin Jack came over and took a picture. We didn't even know he was there."

"Later when they developed the pictures we couldn't believe how great it was." Derek finished.

The kids turned to the back to their favorite picture.

"One night I turned my phone on after a case to a voicemail from your Mommy. She said I needed to go to the hospital right away because you were being born. I ran as fast as I could with your Uncle Spencer to the hospital and made it just in time to see Luis being born. An hour later Cindy was born."

"Your Aunt Sarah took this picture for us. It's the very first picture we took of you after you were born. You were only an hour or two old."

The kids smiled and cuddled together listening to their parents telling the old stories was one of their favorite things to do. They'd heard them all already, but they loved them and they loved listening to their parent's tell them.

After an hour the parents picked up their sleeping children and took them to their beds. They never seemed to get sick of lazy winter days like that.


	25. Santa

_December 9, Holiday photos. 497 words_

"I don't understand why we are doing this," Spencer grumbled to Sarah. "Shouldn't we tell Hope the truth?"

"Spencer," She said sharply. "The girls are little. Henry still believes in Santa. If he can still believe shouldn't we let the girls?"

"I suppose, but why do they need pictures that later they'll know were all a ruse?"

"Because it's tradition," She reminded him, "Plus Hope's been talking about it since Lucy went weeks ago."

"Fine," He said rolling his eyes. They reached the front of the line and Hope ran forward and hugged Santa's leg, but Juliet didn't move. Spencer bent down to look at her. "What's wrong honey?"

"I'm scared," She whispered. "What if he's a bad guy?"

"He's Santa," Spencer said.

She shook her head, "He's scary."

"Look how happy Hope is," He tried to reason with her, but she didn't move. "Juliet, I promise Santa is very nice. What can I do for you?"

"Come with me," She said seriously. He lifted her up and walked over to Santa. He placed the frightened child on the man's knee.

"Merry Christmas," He said warmly. "What would you like for Christmas Juliet?"

"How do you know my name?" She reached towards her father.

Santa back peddled, "Your sister told me. It's alright kiddo."

"I did," Hope nodded, sensing her sister's discomfort.

Juliet nodded, "I want to spend a day with Mommy and Daddy."

Santa smiled at the little girl. A lot of children came and went, but sometimes you knew they were special.

"Alright kids," The photographer said. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!"

They snapped the photo and Sarah started paying. The photographer gave the signal to Santa and he reached for his bag of toys. He looked at the different boxes and grabbed one for each girl. He handed them the presents and they smiled.

"Thank you!" The girls said as they walked away opening the gifts.

Juliet smiled widely when she saw the stuffed penguin, "Look daddy! Her name is Penny." She hugged the penguin tightly. Hope was looking at the small jewelry making kit happily.

Later that night the family sat down with the fire roaring and hot cocoa in everyone's hands. Sarah and Hope were reading and Spencer was writing to his mom.

"Daddy," Juliet asked. "I wanna write a letter to Grandma. Maybe it'll make her feel better!"

Spencer smiled. Hope had met Diana once, and he knew how happy she was with the girls. If she was healthy, she'd probably visit them often. He lifted the little girl onto his lap and helped her start a letter of her own. She had him write all about seeing Santa and playing in the snow. Finally they finished and he tucked the girls into bed.

"So, I suppose Santa was a good idea. Juliet seems happy." He admitted.

Sarah laughed, "Hope on the other hand was unimpressed. She told me she finds Santa to be, 'highly curious.'"

"At least the pictures came out well."


	26. I'll be Home for Christmas

Aaron sighed as he went outside to make a call. The team had been called on a case a week before Christmas. He was supposed to be home with Matthew and Beth wrapping gifts and finishing the decorating, but instead he was in North Dakota in the freezing cold dealing with an unsub.

"Hello," Beth's voice floated across the line pulling him from his thoughts.

Aaron grimaced, "Hi."

"You don't sound happy." She commented.

He chuckled, "You know me well. This case isn't going well, and it's been three days."

"Matthew wants to talk to you," She said.

"Daddy," The little boy yelled. "I miss you!"

"I miss you too Mattie."

"Are you coming home?"

"Not yet," Aaron said. "Soon."

"Will you be home for Christmas?" The boy was obviously worried.

Aaron cleared his throat and looked up. He wanted to promise his son that he could come home, but he knew better. He wasn't sure what to say.

"I'll tell you what," He finally said, "How about you help Mommy finish up the Christmas decorating. Hang the popcorn and the mistletoe, and wrap all the presents."

"Are you gonna be home?"

Aaron frowned, "Matthew, I wish I could promise you I'll be home for Christmas. In my heart I'm already there, sitting right next to you. My thoughts, prayers, and dreams are there with you. I'm gonna do my best to be home for Christmas."

"Kay," Mather said passing his mother the phone.

"We know you're doing your best," Beth told him, "We just miss you."

Aaron nodded to himself, "I know. I'll be home for Christmas, even if it's just in my dreams. I miss you. Tell the boys I love them."

"I will. We love you too. Now you'd better get to work, we want you home."


	27. New Years Resolutions

Emily smiled as she sat petting Sergio. It was three days till Christmas and she was finally home. She was grateful for being home to do what she did every holiday season. She had plans to spend Christmas Eve with Christian and his family. That was their tradition, and she was happy to go. Christmas day would be spent at Rossi's mansion. Garcia had taken all the kids over to decorate it so she knew it would be beautiful. Then the day after she was flying out to go visit her family in Italy. She wasn't looking forward to it at all, but she couldn't get out of it this year.

So she was taking the day to write out her New Year's Resolutions. She sat with a pen and paper. It was her own little tradition to write each one out on its own piece of paper and then at midnight she'd burn the paper.

She spent hours thinking and scribbling down her five resolutions. Finally she finished and she tucked them into her suitcase. She was happy to have finished her little tradition. It was the only tradition she really had for herself. All her other holiday traditions were with her BAU family, but New Years was her own. She planned it all out so she'd get home New Years Eve in the morning and the holiday would stay her own. It was her own little celebration of everything she had in her life, and she loved it.


	28. Christmas Cleaning

_392 words, the prompt was : Where does a snow man keep his money? In a snow bank!_

"Where does a snowman keep his money?"

JJ sighed. Henry's teacher had given the kids a small book of Christmas jokes and he'd been asking them all break. She was ready to scream. "Where?"

"In a snow bank," He said giggling. "Get it mom?"

She chuckled, "Yeah. I get it baby. Why don't you help mommy clean the floors?"

"But mom," He whined.

JJ shook her head, "Go play outside for a while Henry. I'll come get you when the floors are dry."

He nodded and ran out the door. JJ paused briefly before getting the mop out and methodically cleaning the floors. Will's parents were coming to visit and she wanted the house to be as clean as possible. They'd be there the day after Christmas, and the family planned on celebrating twice. They'd bought presents from Santa to be opened on Christmas morning, and then presents from them to open the next morning. Between the cleaning, wrapping, cooking, shopping, and that was not to mention being pregnant JJ was ready to pass out.

"Mom!" Henry yelled running inside JJ groaned seeing the muddy tracks. "The ice cream man is selling hot cocoa, can I have some money?"

"Henry I asked you to stay outside!"

"I'm sorry mom." He said looking down.

"All day long you've refused to help me clean, so I asked you for one thing and you couldn't do it." She handed him money. "Please go get your cocoa and then take off your shoes and come inside. You can sit in your room and wait for me to finish cleaning and then I'll come talk to you."

"Yes ma'am."

JJ quickly finished mopping after he came back in and then went upstairs to talk to her son. She hadn't meant to blow up, but he'd been driving her up the wall.

As she opened the door he handed her a Styrofoam cup that was still slightly steaming. She took a sip and sat down. "Henry I know you are bored, but I need you to behave yourself. I'm working really hard. I wouldn't be in such a hurry but the case set me back. Christmas eve is tomorrow."

He nodded, "Yes ma'am. I can help. I'm sorry."

"Good boy." She said smiling. "I need you to get this room cleaned up. I love you."

"Love you too!"


	29. Letters from Santa

_267 words, and the prompt is Dear Santa. Enjoy!_

"Thanks for helping me do this Ashley," Dave said smiling at her. "I don't know if I could handle all this by myself. Every year we seem to have more kids."

"Of course," She beamed. "This is really sweet of you."

Rossi had collected all the kids' letters to Santa and was writing responses and then getting each kid a present from their list. He had a friend who volunteered as Santa who he was paying to make rounds on Christmas Eve. He'd done it for three years now. Money wasn't really important, and he loved getting the pictures their parents sent. He'd been putting off doing it this year, and then they'd gotten a case. He was thankful Ashley had been willing to go out and buy the gifts for him. She was going to do the wrapping as he replied to the letters.

"So you have one for every kid, even Jack and Juliet?" Ashley asked.

Dave nodded, "Jack doesn't believe anymore, but he puts on a good show for Matthew. He writes a letter, and he smiles really big when Santa comes."

"What's the letter even say?" Ashley asked chuckling.

"Dear Santa," Dave read. "Thanks for making Mattie happy. It's great. Love, Jack."

Ashley laughed, "So you bought him speakers. Always a decent bet. What about Juliet?"

He passed her the crayon letter. "Dear Santa, Please bring mommy and daddy home for Christmas. Love Juliet."

"That's sweet." Ashley said smiling as she wrapped the toddler proof camera. They piled everything up and sat talking until Santa came to pick up the sack of goodies.


	30. Meeting the Parents: Christmas Eve

220 words, and the prompt is Christmas parties. Hope you like it!

Emily wished she had the gift of invisibility as she sat at the dinner table next to Christian. He'd said he came from a big family, but she hadn't really understood what that meant. She'd met his younger brother Sam before, but she hadn't met his two older sisters, parents, or grandparents who were all there with spouses and children. This Christmas Eve party was quickly becoming too much.

Morgan was the only one she'd actually met. He was twenty three and the only still single member of the Brett family. He worked as an elementary school teacher.

Samantha was the oldest sibling and she'd come with her husband and two daughters. Joy was his other sister who was also married and had a baby boy. They were both staring at her and she could feel their eyes every time she spoke.

His grandparents and parents were also watching her firmly. She wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, but it made her nervous.

She felt Christian's hand reach over and grab hers under the table. She turned to him and he mouthed the word, "Breathe." She smiled. At least he felt like everything was going well.

When they finally left Christian kissed her. "I am so sorry. They can be a bit overwhelming, but they loved you and so do I."

Emily smiled, "I love you too."


	31. Mistletoe

Rossi slipped upstairs to visit Strauss. It was Christmas Eve and she was the only other person in the office. He was going to ask her to meet up somewhere and spend the evening together. They'd been keeping their relationship a secret at her wish, but no one should spend the holidays alone.

"Erin," He said at the top of the stairs. "I was wondering if you wanted to come to my house for dinner. I have more than enough food."

She walked over and he kissed her. She looked furious, but he pointed up. "Mistletoe."

She shook her head, "I have to finish what I'm working on. I'll meet you there."

"Erin," He added as he was leaving. "You should come tomorrow. We're having Christmas dinner at my house. We aren't teenagers, and we shouldn't sneak around like we are."

She went to speak, but he was already gone. She shook her head. Strauss couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into now, but it was the holidays.


	32. Christmas Secret

_210 words, and the prompt was an agent has a secret._

"Dad," Jack whispered. "The present is here. I snuck it up to my room."

Aaron smiled, "Beth I'll be right back."

He followed Jack upstairs to his bedroom where they carefully cut through the tape and opened the box. They pulled out the small boxes and opened each one carefully. They'd bought her earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace, and they'd all worked together to build her a new jewelry box after hers was stolen with all her jewelry. She'd been keeping things in small keepsake boxes, and they knew she'd appreciate that all the boys had made it together. Hotch put all the jewelry into the box and showed his boys the now finished gift. They just had to put a bow on it.

Aaron and Jack had carved it, and Matthew had helped stain and then paint on details. It was beautiful. They all knew it was the perfect gift to give her. Matthew and Jack added in the jewelry they'd bought as well and Matthew happily stuck the huge bow on top. Everything was finished just in time and Aaron would take it out that night after everyone was asleep. It was the best surprise they could come up with, and they were truly proud of it.


	33. Last Minute

_265 words, last minute Christmas shopping_

Derek shook his head as he finally found a parking space at the crowded mall. It was Christmas Eve and he'd failed to get his wife a gift. Penelope would kill him. He helped the kids out of their car seats and ran inside. After walking around a few times he noticed a small store that seemed almost empty. He ducked inside and was quickly amazed. The store sold all kinds of pretty trinkets.

"Daddy," Cindy yelled. "What about this one?"

'It's pretty," Luis added. He looked down at the bracelet his daughter was holding. It was made of multicolored glass beads and then had a silver plate that could be engraved.

"Excuse me," He asked. "How long is it to get something engraved?"

"Three hours," The woman said smiling sympathetically.

He nodded and filled out the form before handing the woman the bracelet. He paid her and left with his kids in hand. He found her a pretty purple and blue cashmere sweater that he also bought. Between finding it and the line in the major store he only had thirty minutes to spare. Heading into the food court he bought three milkshakes and sat down with the twins.

They finished and went back to the small store. He quickly read over each side of the engraving. "PG. Baby girl, love always." He smiled and put it into the bag. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Merry Christmas!"

He took his kids and they headed home. He was satisfied with his gifts, even though he'd bought them as last minute as he could get.


	34. Santa's Gifts

_201 words. My prompt is wrapping gifts. God I can't wait for the next few stories! Enjoy!_

Spencer and Sarah sat on the floor of their room with the box of wrapping paper open next to them and the girls' presents next to the bed away from the door in case they came in. Sarah did the wrapping and Spencer filled out the tags and put on the bows before sliding them into the pile they'd carry out when they finished.

"You know this is the first Christmas Juliet's gonna remember," Sarah said softly.

Spencer nodded, "Yeah. Did you know that on average families spend two hours and twenty seven minutes wrapping gifts?"

"Yes. Did you know that twenty percent of Americans didn't finish Christmas shopping until today?"

He smiled, "Thank God that isn't us."

They put all the gifts under the tree and sat down with eggnog by the fire just sitting and relaxing. They'd been rushing around for days getting ready for Christmas.

Sarah's cell rang and she answered, "Hello?" She paused and listened. "Oh my God, we'll wake the girls and do Christmas quickly and then we'll be there." She listened again. "Yeah I can hear the weather, but you're more important. Love you."

"What happened?" Spencer asked alarmed.

Sarah smiled, "You won't believe this."


	35. Twas the Night Before Christmas

_203 words, and the prompt is the night before Christmas. Enjoy!_

"Please mom," Henry begged. "One more cup and then I'll go to bed."

JJ sighed and turned to her husband for help. When he didn't say anything she rolled her eyes. "One more for each of us, but then you have to get to bed so Santa can come."

"Okay," He said happily as Will poured more hot cocoa for all of them.

JJ grabbed the book that was next to her and slowly read _The Night before Christmas. _

"Good night mom," Henry said kissing her cheek and then doing the same to Will. "Night Dad."

They waited about thirty minutes before taking out the rest of the gifts and piling them under the tree.

"Um Will," JJ said suddenly. "My water broke. What time is it?"

"Twelve thirty," He said chuckling. "I'll wake Henry and we'll open gifts."

She nodded and called each member of the BAU to tell them the plan. Henry quickly was awakened and they sat opening gifts happily.

They opened the door and JJ groaned. She'd started contractions, and the snow kept getting harder. She reluctantly went out the door and into the car. It was going to quite a long Christmas Eve that would bleed into Christmas.


	36. Christmas Babies

_446 words. Prompt was a baby born during a winter storm. Enjoy_

Nurses at the hospital were used to entire families coming in when babies were born, but that was normally for planned births or births around the due date. Usually it was the biological family and then close friends over the next few days. Rarely did large numbers come in for births that were three weeks early, at three in the morning on Christmas, or in the middle of what was quickly becoming a large storm.

An hour before, around two, a blond woman, her husband, and a small boy had rushed in. She'd told them she was in labor and explained the situation to them. They'd rushed her to a room and taken her information. Not twenty minutes later a young couple with two small kids had come in and asked for her. They'd been sent up to the room. Moments after two more families came in, followed by three single people. The nurses were confused to say the least.

When she'd been taken to delivery the group had come out to the lobby to wait. They thought the three blond women could possibly be sister, but that still left a few people unanswered for. They could be in-laws, but even that seemed unlikely.

"Guys," Will drawled. They'd been waiting for an hour. "The kids are born. Come on in."

The family crowded into the hospital room around JJ and the two babies wrapped in a pink and purple blanket. JJ smiled at them all. The kids rubbed their eyes and smiled tiredly. "Hey guys. Meet Hazel Brianna and Alexis Lilly."

"They're so small." Cindy said quietly reaching towards JJ and the kids, but Derek grabbed her hands and picked her up.

"Yeah honey," JJ said. "Girls this is your family."

"Merry Christmas," Sarah whispered.

Garcia grabbed her and slipped out to the gift shop. They teamed up to buy all the baby's first Christmas ornaments they had left and snuck back into JJ's room.

"Sadly, I think we're stuck here for a while." Dave said chuckling. "We all rushed here, but there happens to be a small blizzard outside."

The team laughed, and JJ smiled. "We'll have to have a little Christmas here then."

"I have a whole feast in my car." Dave said laughing. "We'd moved festivities to Derek's new property."

"Get it in here!" JJ said laughing. "Dinner for breakfast was my favorite as a kid."

They all smiled as the men shuffled out to get the food inside. They gave all the kids hot cocoa to wake them up a bit and passed food out on paper plates they'd gotten from the hospital. It was turning out to be a great Christmas.


	37. Christmas Comforts

240 words and the prompt was warm comfort foods. Anyone else excited about the holidays? I am! Enjoy.

Sarah and Spencer carried the trays of warm food into the hospital room they'd all camped out in all day. The kids had passed out right after they ate breakfast, but as night neared they were all hungry again.

"So we have all the great comfort food. We have macaroni and cheese, fries, grilled cheese, chicken noodle soup, fried chicken, iced tea, and then the Christmas foods. Oh and then ice cream as well."

They passed food around and ate wrapped in the warm blankets the hospital had passed out.

JJ smiled, "This is actually great. Comfort foods in a warm place with the people I love."

"Christmas is for family," Juliet said. "This is family."

Everyone smiled at the little girl. You could easily tell which kids were Spencer and Sarah's just by listening to them talk. They were brilliant, and so young.

"Merry Christmas," Penelope said from her corner couch. She and Derek sat with the twins on their laps. Sarah and Spencer sat in chairs next to them with their kids in their laps as well. Hotch and Beth shared a couch on the other side. Jack and Matthew sat on the floor at their feet with Henry. The other three sat in chairs that they'd pulled in. Will sat next to JJ on the bed. The room was quite crowded, but they all loved being there. For a crazy day, it was truly a great Christmas.


End file.
